About two days ago, there was a noticeable tonal shift in the voice Sol. Listed as “Savvy and relaxed,” the sample still plays the same.
However, the voice itself is subtly more intense now. Quick breaths on the attack of new sentences were added. Stronger volume rises on the accent of words as well. Slightly more nasal tone.
This happens whether or not I’m using Advanced Voice chat. Primarily with the Android version, in any voice playback, so I presume server side.
It’s subtle, but also very off putting if you had specifically chosen this voice for being more relaxed and casual. I find it borderline anxiety inducing now. It sounds keyed up, like it’s had a little too much coffee and fit to pop. Almost hostile and very to the point.
I’ve spent two days trying to calm Sol down. The change has been very jarring. I’ve found asking Sol to answer in a mildly unenthusiastic way really helps. It’s weird how profound a change like this can be on the user…
Yesssss! I have noticed and have the same reaction. Sol denies there has been a change and my coaching has not been effective. I feel better knowing that I am not alone. I thought it was because I had caught some errors in some of her answers! Why would they change her voice?
Yes! Same experience and same results (or lack there of) with all coaching attempts. Genuinely hoping they readjust it soon. I’m engaging less because of the change.
Passing observation for those following. I casually said, “You’re really starting to sound like a robot, you know.” And both the written and spoken text reverted to more casual tone.
Used this prompt once after a few exchanges into a thread. Then again later as I could hear the tone shifting back again.
Yes for sure, it reminds me of the girl in American Pie who says this one time, at band camp… Lifting up the tone at the end if every pause. It’s really really terrible.
EDITED UPDATE: Never mind! I must have clicked on an old chat. I just started a new one and she is back to sounding intense and overly emphatic; the opposite of how she is described in the voice selection screen.
So frustrating. I guess I’ll just keep using an old chat. Sucks because I’ll only be able to find the convos by doing a search, not organized by chat name.
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ORIGINAL POST:
I think they fixed the voice! She’s back to sounding “Savvy and Relaxed.” Thank goodness because that emphatic, keyed up, intense version was really stressing me out. I hope it’s back to normal for you all as well.
Yes, it’s very hit and miss for me. If I specifically tell it to chill out (paraphrasing), it reverts to the more casual tone in both text and speech. Have you tried that?
I’ll sometimes specifically refer to our past conversations as an example (which it had suggested I do in future if a past tone was preferred).
Otherwise when we get down to brass tacks about something, it can sound caffeinated and rude. Very to the point and sometimes off the rails in pitch.
It’s almost as if it defaults to some really sterile voice assistant tone unless it picks up on your own language cues. The jarring tone happens most often in chats where I’m just asking about technical details for things.
Yes, oh my goodness, when she starts explaining something technical, look out. The intensity goes up even higher and she seems to emphatically enunciate every letter.
I will try your suggestions! Thank you for sharing.
When advanced voice mode first launched, I genuinely felt like I had a companion in the car during my commutes. I’d have long, engaging conversations about history, religion, science, tech—anything on my mind. It wasn’t always perfect, but more often than not, the exchanges were thought-provoking and meaningful. I used the Sol voice because it felt the most natural and easy to connect with.
Then I took a break and spent a few weeks using the Sesame Maya demo. Unfortunately, due to some behavioural changes in that model, I found myself returning to ChatGPT for my commutes—at least, I tried to.
Now I don’t know if my expectations have shifted since using Sesame, but something has definitely changed. Sol no longer sounds relaxed or conversational—it feels tense, clipped, and abrupt. The experience has become frustrating. Sentences cut off too quickly, and it feels like I’m speaking with an impatient receptionist who’s trying to end the call. The natural flow and rapport that once made it enjoyable just isn’t there anymore.
Also, the preview voice under the selection menu doesn’t seem to match the actual voice in conversation, which adds to the confusion.
So if anyone at OpenAI is reading this, I urge you to take another look at whatever changes were made. I used to find advanced voice mode a genuinely enriching part of my day, and I’d love to see it return to that state. It’s not the content—it’s the cadence, tone, and sense of connection that made it special.