Anthropic is rolling out a new way for people to interact with its Claude chatbot using spoken conversation rather than just typing. The feature, called Claude voice mode, is currently in beta and available on the Claude mobile app, with English support expected to be accessible to more users within the next few weeks.
Early reports indicate that some users have already received access to the new voice mode. According to an updated support page, voice mode relies on Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 model by default and lets people talk to Claude hands free, hearing responses aloud and viewing the main points of the chat as text on the device.
Other major artificial intelligence developers have introduced similar conversational AI features before. Google’s Gemini Live and Grok’s Voice Mode both offer the ability to have natural exchanges with AI bots using speech rather than the traditional text format.
Customization and Capabilities
Anthropic’s approach stands out by offering five unique voice options for users to choose from and seamless switching between voice and text mid conversation. Claude can also process chats about images and documents, and following each exchange, users will see a summary and a transcript appear on the screen.
There are limits to the new feature, especially for those using the free version. Voice chat sessions count towards the standard usage cap, which for most non paying users tops out at around 20 to 30 voice conversations.
Only customers with a subscription can let Claude’s voice mode tap into Google Workspace services, such as managing Google Calendar appointments and reading Gmail messages. Those with an Enterprise account get exclusive access to Google Docs integration.
Chief product officer Mike Krieger previously pointed to this focus on voice in an interview this spring, saying that the company was intent on developing richer spoken interaction. At that time, Anthropic was also in talks with Amazon, which holds a significant stake in the company, and with ElevenLabs, a voice tech startup, about future voice powered features.
The company has not yet said which, if any, of those discussions led to partnerships for Claude’s voice abilities.
