Over the past few months, Microsoft has been adding Copilot to its various platforms for a uniform AI experience across the entire Microsoft ecosystem. From adding Copilot to Windows 11 to rebranding Bing Chat to Copilot in the Edge sidebar, the tool is suddenly everywhere.

Now, Microsoft has launched Copilot as an app for your phone as well. You can install it on your iPhone or Android phone and access AI on the go. Although Microsoft previously launched the Bing Chat app that offered access to Bing Chat AI on mobile, the interface for accessing the AI does not provide the best experience. However, Copilot is a standalone app whose only focus is to offer you a place to chat with the AI.

In case you don't know, Microsoft Copilot is a powerful AI assistant that can help you with a variety of tasks on your phone. It can be used to generate text, translate languages, write different kinds of creative content, and answer your questions in an informative way.

It is powered by GPT-3.5; it also gives users an option to chat with GPT-4 for free, which ChatGPT users only get access to with a Plus or Enterprise subscription. You can also generate images for free using DALL-E 3, which is again a paid feature of ChatGPT.

Getting Started with Copilot on the Phone

Here's how you can get started with Copilot on your phone.

  1. From your phone, go to the App Store or Play Store and search for Copilot.
  2. Then, install the 'Microsoft Copilot' app.
  3. Open the app once it's installed and tap on 'Continue'.
  1. You can start chatting with Bing Chat right away without the need to log in to your Microsoft account. But if you want to record and access your chat history with Bing Chat, you'll need to be signed in.
  2. To sign in, tap the 'Sign in' button in the top left corner of the screen.
  3. Then, you can log in to your Microsoft account by tapping on 'Sign in' again.

Using Copilot on the Phone

Now, using Copilot on your phone is simple. You can either chat with GPT 3.5, which is the default model in the mobile app or switch to GPT 4. The mobile app does not support Plugins.

There are a few different ways to interact with Copilot:

  • Text: You can type your questions or requests into the chat interface. Copilot will then process your input and provide you with a response.
  • Voice: You can also use voice commands to interact with Copilot. Tap the microphone icon and speak your question or request. Copilot will then listen to you and provide you with a response. You cannot "speak" with Copilot like you can with ChatGPT. The voice option only lets you speak your queries instead of typing them.
  • Camera: You can use the camera to take pictures or scan QR codes. Copilot will then use the information in the picture or QR code to provide you with relevant information. You can also upload images from your gallery.

Here's the full extent of how you can use the Microsoft Copilot app.

  1. To chat with Copilot, simply tap your query in the 'Ask me anything' textbox and tap the 'Send' button. You can also tap on one of the suggestions from Bing Chat to get started.
  2. Copilot will give you a response after searching for your query on Bing.
  1. It will also list the sources it used to formulate the answer at the bottom.
  2. You can continue chatting with Copilot for around 30 more responses, and it will retain the context. After that, you will have to start a new chat with Copilot.
  1. To switch to voice typing, tap the 'Microphone' button. You'll need to permit Copilot to access your phone's microphone to proceed.
  2. Then, it will take voice input until you switch to typing by tapping the 'Keyboard'.
  1. To chat about an image, tap the 'Camera' icon. You will need to permit Copilot access to your device's camera.
  2. Then, select whether you want to capture an image to chat, search, upload an image, or scan a barcode/ QR code from the bottom of the screen. If there are any faces in the image, Privacy Blur hides them from Bing Chat.
  1. Once the image is uploaded in the chat, type/ speak your query regarding it and send it to Bing Chat.
  2. Bing Chat will analyze the image and answer your query. You can even continue the chat about the image further as it is retained in context.

Changing the GPT Model or Tone

  1. If you want to change the tone or the GPT model, you can only do that at the start of a new chat.
  2. To start a new chat, tap the 'New Chat' button in the bottom left corner.
  3. Then, turn on the toggle for 'Use GPT-4'. Responses might be slower when talking to GPT-4 in Copilot.
  4. Other than that, talking with GPT-4 is the same. There's a 30-response chat limit, after which you will have to start a new chat.
  1. To change the tone, tap the 'three-dot menu' icon in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Then, select 'Show All Tones' from the menu.
  1. Now, you can select from 'More Creative', 'More Balanced', and 'More Precise' tones.
  2. You can also access your older chats with Bing from the three-dot menu. Tap on 'Chat History'.
  1. Then, tap on the chat you want to access from the list.
  2. Once a chat is open, you can also rename or delete it from the three-dot menu.

That's all there is to it. Microsoft Copilot provides a powerful AI assistant that you can access on the go on your mobile phone. You can chat with Copilot using text, voice, or images and get answers about anything.