Sidebar “Ask ChatGPT” on Atlas uses iPhone microphone instead of MacBook microphone (Continuity issue)

ChatGPT Bugs
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Atlas Sidebar “Ask ChatGPT” ignores macOS selected microphone and forces iPhone Continuity mic

:puzzle_piece: Environment

  • macOS: macOS (Apple Silicon)

  • Hardware: MacBook Air

  • iPhone: iPhone 15 (Continuity enabled)

  • Browser: Atlas (ChatGPT Browser)

  • Feature: “Ask ChatGPT” sidebar

  • Account: Logged-in OpenAI account

  • Voice input language: pt-BR / en-US (independent of language)

:red_exclamation_mark: Problem Description

When using voice input in ChatGPT, audio input behavior is inconsistent depending on context.

Working correctly:

  • ChatGPT iOS app

  • ChatGPT macOS app

  • ChatGPT web (main window inside Atlas)

Failing case:

  • :cross_mark: Atlas sidebar using “Ask ChatGPT”

In the sidebar context, clicking the microphone button always attempts to use the iPhone microphone via Continuity Camera, instead of the MacBook built-in microphone.

This happens even when:

  • macOS Sound > Input is explicitly set to “MacBook Air Microphone”

  • iPhone microphone is not selected

  • User does not want Continuity audio, only clipboard / Handoff

There is no UI option in the sidebar to select or override the audio input device.

:repeat_button: Steps to Reproduce

  1. On macOS, go to System Settings > Sound > Input

  2. Select MacBook Air Microphone explicitly

  3. Keep iPhone nearby with Continuity enabled

  4. Open Atlas browser

  5. Navigate to any website

  6. Click “Ask ChatGPT” to open the sidebar

  7. Click the microphone button to start voice input

:cross_mark: Actual Result

  • Sidebar tries to capture audio from iPhone microphone

  • System shows: “iPhone microphone is not available” or similar

  • Voice input fails or becomes unusable

:white_check_mark: Expected Result

The sidebar should:

  • Respect the macOS-selected input device
    OR

  • Prompt the user to choose the microphone
    OR

  • Default to the MacBook microphone instead of Continuity

At minimum, behavior should be consistent with:

  • ChatGPT web main window

  • ChatGPT macOS app

:chart_decreasing: Impact

This makes voice input unusable in the sidebar for users who:

  • rely heavily on dictation

  • use iPhone + Mac with Continuity enabled

  • want clipboard/Handoff but not audio capture from iPhone

The sidebar is otherwise a powerful feature, but this breaks a core interaction.

:brain: Technical Hypothesis (optional, but helps a lot)

The sidebar appears to run in an isolated WebView context that:

  • does not inherit macOS global input selection

  • requests audio input without specifying a preferred device

  • defaults to Continuity microphone when available

This behavior differs from the main ChatGPT web instance.

:test_tube: Additional Notes

  • This is not a macOS configuration issue

  • This is not user error

  • The issue is fully reproducible

  • The problem does not occur outside the sidebar context

2 Likes
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It seems Atlas uses microphones in a specific order. If I disconnect my iPhone from the network, Atlas starts using my other microphone, which is a virtual one and isn’t the default microphone in Mac OS settings.