Read Aloud has been silently removed from the CHATGPT website and Windows app, along with the entire speech settings menu. However, it still works on mobile. The OPENAI status page says the issue is fixed, but these features are still missing on desktop.
So was this a bug, or was this an intentional removal?
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Does anyone with a Workspace account face the same issue?
i have the teams plan and have the same issue, it looks to still work in plus
I’m also on the Team Plan and have experienced the same issue; the Read Aloud feature disappeared without warning. This is not just an inconvenience but a significant functional loss, as I use it with every single output. The removal has noticeably reduced the value proposition of the service for me, and I’ve had to go through considerable workarounds such as integrating Android with Linux browsing just to retain this functionality.
While I appreciate OpenAI’s innovations and will continue supporting the platform, the way this was handled raises serious concerns about transparency and user experience. A feature that users relied on daily was silently removed, with no clear communication or rationale provided. Even if this was unintentional, the lack of proactive clarification makes it feel like an afterthought rather than a priority.
This isn’t just about the feature itself, it’s about principles. Removing core functionality that impacts workflow without any heads-up or alternative solutions is simply bad practice. As someone who values OpenAI’s overall contributions, I’d like to see better commitment to clear communication and user trust moving forward.
That said, my overall stance remains positive, as the balance of positives vs. negatives is still overwhelmingly in OpenAI’s favor. But handling these changes with more transparency and foresight would go a long way in maintaining that trust.
Would appreciate any official response on whether this was an intentional removal or just a temporary issue still being resolved.
Here’s the official response I got from OpenAI regarding Workspace issues:
- Read Aloud Feature and Speech Settings
We understand how important the ‘Read Aloud’ feature is for many users. The issue you described, where Workspace users seem to have lost access to this feature, is not intentional. It appears to be a bug or an oversight during recent updates.
Workspace Subscription and Chat Transfer
We’re sorry to hear about your decision to cancel your Workspace subscription, but we completely understand your frustration. Regarding your request to transfer chats back to your private account, we would like to inform you that merging your account is permanent and cannot be undone.
General Frustration with Bugs and Prioritization
Your feedback about feeling that free users are prioritized over paying users is deeply concerning to us. We want to assure you that this is not our intention. We’re actively working to improve the stability and reliability of our services across all plans, and your feedback helps us identify areas where we need to do better.
This just confirms what I and many others have noticed—Workspace (team accounts) are treated worse than free or Pro users.
Read Aloud got removed for Workspace users, but not for free accounts.
There’s no way to transfer chats back to a private account, even though moving to Workspace was instant.
Workspace users can’t even export their own data.
OpenAI never warned users that transferring to Workspace is permanent, nor that you’d lose export options. And now the only solution they offer? Manually copying every chat.
If you’re a paying Workspace user, you get fewer features and more headaches than free or Pro users.
Anyone else experiencing the same? Let’s make some noise about this.
If you’re waiting on OpenAI to fix this, here’s a workaround that bypasses the issue and even has some advantages.
What you need:
How it works:
Why this is useful:
From my experience, it works seamlessly with no major downsides. Instead of waiting, you can set this up today and get Read Aloud back instantly.