ChatGPT for iOS has introduced branched chats, a feature designed to make conversations easier to manage when discussions naturally shift or expand. The update allows users to split an existing conversation at any point and continue from that moment in a new, separate chat, without deleting or overwriting the original thread. For people who rely on ChatGPT for ongoing tasks, this change addresses a long-standing friction point in how mobile conversations are organized.
The idea behind branched chats is simple: conversations rarely stay linear. A single thread can quickly turn into a mix of drafting, research, follow-up questions, and tone changes. Until now, iOS users typically handled this by copying messages into a new chat or restarting entirely, which often meant losing useful context. With branching, that context stays intact, while the new direction becomes its own standalone conversation.
The feature has already been available on the web version of ChatGPT for several months. According to OpenAI, the goal is to help users explore different paths without cluttering a single thread or sacrificing earlier progress. Bringing the same functionality to the iOS app aligns mobile usage more closely with desktop workflows, especially for users who move between devices throughout the day.
Using branched chats on an iPhone is straightforward. From within an existing conversation, users can long-press the message where they want the split to occur and select the option to branch into a new chat. ChatGPT then opens a separate conversation that carries forward all context up to that point. The original conversation remains unchanged, while the branch can evolve independently. As with many app updates, the feature is rolling out gradually, so users who do not see it immediately may need to update the ChatGPT app and wait for availability.
In practice, the impact of branching becomes clear quickly. Writers can spin off alternate versions of headlines or introductions without re-explaining the brief. Developers can branch from the same error output to test different troubleshooting approaches. Planning tasks benefit as well, allowing separate branches for different budgets, timelines, or priorities, all rooted in the same initial discussion. Even casual learning becomes more flexible, with branches used to request simpler explanations or deeper technical breakdowns without losing the main thread.
While branched chats do not fundamentally change how ChatGPT generates responses, they improve how conversations are structured and revisited, particularly on smaller screens. For frequent users of the iOS app, the update reduces scrolling, repetition, and manual workarounds, making longer or more complex interactions easier to manage.
OpenAI first introduced branched chats on the web in early September 2025. The iOS release brings that same forked-conversation workflow to mobile, closing a feature gap that many regular users had already noticed.
