ChatGPT Pulse: What It Is, How It Works, Privacy, Use Cases & Pro Tips (2025)

My AI Assistant September 26, 2025

 



TL;DR (Quick summary)

ChatGPT Pulse is OpenAI’s new mobile-only proactive feature that runs background research and delivers daily personalized update cards based on your chat history, saved memory, and optionally connected apps (calendar, email, etc.). It’s currently rolling out as a preview for Pro users on iOS and Android and is meant to help people start the day with relevant insights without writing a prompt. Pulse is opt-in and requires Memory to be turned on; app integrations are off by default so you control what it can access.

Table of contents

  1. Quick TL;DR
  2. What is ChatGPT Pulse? (simple explainer)
  3. Why OpenAI built Pulse — the thinking behind proactive assistants
  4. How ChatGPT Pulse actually works (signals, cards, refresh cycle)
  5. Availability, pricing & who can use it now (mobile, preview, Pro) — important facts
  6. Privacy, data, and user controls (what to enable/disable)
  7. Top features and card types you’ll see in Pulse
  8. Step-by-step: How to enable and use Pulse in the ChatGPT mobile app
  9. Practical use cases — personal, productivity, creators, marketers, traders
  10. Prompt engineering for Pulse: how to teach Pulse what matters to you
  11. Dos & Don’ts — avoid common mistakes and privacy pitfalls
  12. Comparison: Pulse vs regular ChatGPT with Memory vs other proactive assistants
  13. SEO & content opportunities around Pulse (keyword ideas, article angles)
  14. Monetization opportunities & product ideas leveraging Pulse
  15. Troubleshooting & what to expect during the preview period
  16. Future possibilities & what to watch for next from OpenAI
  17. 20 Frequently Asked Questions (with concise answers)
  18. Conclusion
  19. Chatbase embed (iframe) — placed at the end as requested

 (OpenAI)

2 — What is ChatGPT Pulse? (simple explainer)

Instead of waiting for you to ask a question, ChatGPT Pulse works for you overnight (or between sessions) to gather short research updates, suggestions, reminders and curated content in a visual feed of cards. Think of Pulse as a morning brief — a compact, customizable set of cards with actionable summaries like: “progress on your language goals,” “news + highlights for companies you follow,” or “meeting prep for today’s calendar events.” The goal: move from reactive Q&A to proactive assistance. (OpenAI)

3 — Why OpenAI built Pulse — the thinking behind proactive assistants

AI is shifting from on-demand tools to assistants that anticipate needs. There are three main drivers:

  • Frustration with prompt-crafting: Many users struggle to write the right prompt; Pulse lowers the barrier by proactively surfacing useful information. (Axios)
  • Value of persistent context: With memory features, AI can reuse context over time (goals, projects) — Pulse leverages that context to produce relevant updates. (OpenAI Help Center)
  • Competitive landscape: Big tech competition (Google, Meta, Microsoft) is pushing towards more agentic assistants; Pulse positions ChatGPT in that space. (The Verge)

4 — How ChatGPT Pulse actually works (signals, cards, refresh cycle)

Pulse synthesizes several signals to decide what to research and show:

Primary signals Pulse uses

  • Your past chats & memory — saved goals, preferences, past Q&A. (Memory must be enabled.) (OpenAI Help Center)
  • Your feedback & curation — thumbs up/down and telling Pulse what to prioritize or ignore. (OpenAI)
  • Connected apps (optional) — if you opt in, Pulse can look at calendar entries and other linked apps to surface meeting prep or travel reminders. These integrations are off by default. (Axios)

Card format and cadence

  • Pulse presents a daily set of visual summary cards. Cards are short (scanable) but can be expanded for detail. Pulse refreshes daily and is intentionally finite so it doesn’t become an infinite scrolling feed. (OpenAI)

Safety & limits

  • OpenAI applies safety filters (for example, to avoid amplifying unhealthy thought patterns) and says Pulse data won’t be used to train models for other users. (The Verge)

5 — Availability, pricing & who can use it now (important facts)

  • Preview status: Pulse launched as a preview feature. Availability will expand later. (OpenAI)
  • Who can use it now: Initially available to ChatGPT Pro subscribers on iOS and Android. Desktop/web support is not available at launch. (OpenAI Help Center)
  • Pricing note: Pro tier pricing details are separate from Pulse; Pulse was announced tied to Pro preview access. OpenAI indicated Pulse will become available to more users (Plus, etc.) later. Reporting suggests early rollout for paid tiers only. (The Indian Express)

(These are key load-bearing facts — see sources above.) (OpenAI)

6 — Privacy, data & user controls — what you need to know

Pulse raises privacy questions because it proactively uses personal context. Important points and actions you can take:

  • Memory is required: Pulse needs Memory turned on to use saved chat context. If you don’t want Pulse to access memory, don’t enable Pulse and/or disable Memory. (OpenAI Help Center)
  • Connected apps are optional: Calendar, Gmail or other app access is off by default. If you connect them, Pulse can use the data for more targeted cards — you control opt-in. (Axios)
  • You can turn it off: Pulse, Memory, and integrations can be disabled anytime in settings. (OpenAI Help Center)
  • Data usage and training: OpenAI states Pulse data won’t be used to train models for other users and that safety filters are applied; however if you’re privacy-sensitive consider minimal connections and regularly review saved memory. (The Verge)

Practical privacy tips

  1. Review and delete memories you don’t want used.
  2. Keep integrations disabled until you need them.
  3. Use account settings to limit what Pulse can see.
  4. Avoid storing extremely sensitive personal data in Memory.

7 — Top features & card types you’ll see in Pulse

Pulse aims to be concise but utility-focused. Example card types:

  • Daily brief / Morning summary — quick overview of news, tasks, or goals tied to your context. (OpenAI)
  • Meeting prep — agenda prompts drawn from your calendar entries and past chats. (Axios)
  • Project status — updates on long-running goals or ongoing research you’ve been asking about. (Venturebeat)
  • Curated news — short collections of headlines on topics you follow. (The Verge)
  • Action suggestions — “next steps” or micro-tasks based on your projects. (OpenAI)

8 — Step-by-step: How to enable and use Pulse in the ChatGPT mobile app

(These steps are for the mobile preview rollout; UI may change.)

  1. Install or open the ChatGPT mobile app (iOS/Android). Pulse is mobile-only at launch. (OpenAI Help Center)
  2. Upgrade to Pro if you’re not already on a Pro plan and the rollout requires it in your region. (Pulse is in Pro preview.) (OpenAI)
  3. Go to Settings → Memory and enable Memory (Pulse requires memory to be on). (OpenAI Help Center)
  4. Find the Pulse tab (a new tab or option appears in the app). Tap it to view cards. (OpenAI)
  5. Customize: Use in-card controls to thumbs-up or thumbs-down items to teach Pulse what’s useful. You can also disconnect app integrations from settings. (OpenAI)
  6. Save items to chat: If a card is helpful, you can save it to a chat to keep working on it. Pulse refreshes daily. (OpenAI Help Center)

9 — Practical use cases (real examples)

Pulse can help many types of users. Below are practical, concrete examples you can adapt.

For busy professionals (meeting prep & time savings)

  • Before your first meeting: Pulse compiles a 2-paragraph prep for your first calendar event, plus suggested questions and links from previous chats. (Enable calendar integration if you want calendar-aware cards.)

For creators & content teams (idea briefs & trends)

  • Daily quick idea list: Pulse surfaces content prompts you recently discussed (e.g., “short script ideas about AI SEO”), plus top trending headlines in your niche. That’s a fast starting list for YouTube shorts or blog outlines.

For marketers & affiliate creators (campaign reminders)

  • Campaign health check: Pulse reminds you of recurring tasks (e.g., optimize older posts), surfaces performance tips based on your prior chats, and collects recent mentions of tools you promote.

For learners & hobbyists (micro-learning)

  • Pulse can create microlessons that revisit your learning progress — e.g., 3 vocabulary words for the day, review questions, or code practice suggestions.

For traders & researchers (daily briefings)

  • People already use AI for market research; Pulse can aggregate news and watchlist changes. Note: OpenAI safety disclaimers and accuracy limits apply — do not treat outputs as financial advice. (Venturebeat)

10 — How to teach Pulse what matters (prompting & curation)

Pulse improves when you actively curate:

  • Give explicit memory entries: Save clear, structured memories (“I’m learning Spanish — beginner level; study 20 minutes daily”). Pulse will use this to tailor cards.
  • Use feedback controls: Thumbs-up thumbs-down, and tell Pulse “don’t show this” for irrelevant topics.
  • Ask targeted follow-ups: If Pulse surfaces something incomplete, save it to chat and ask follow-ups — that conversation becomes new context. (OpenAI)

Mini-prompt templates to save as memory

  • “Goal: publish 2 YouTube shorts per week on AI tools.”
  • “Interest: SEO tactics for Blogger; prefer step-by-step checklists.”
  • “Avoid: politics and sports news in daily briefs.”

11 — Dos & Don’ts — avoid common mistakes and privacy pitfalls

Dos

  • Do start with Memory enabled only for non-sensitive details.
  • Do keep integrations off until you know what they do.
  • Do use feedback to shape relevance.
  • Do save useful cards into chats for deeper work.

Don’ts

  • Don’t store passwords, medical diagnoses, or other extremely sensitive data in Memory.
  • Don’t blindly act on financial or legal suggestions from Pulse — verify with trusted professionals.
  • Don’t assume desktop/web support; Pulse is mobile-first for now. (OpenAI Help Center)

12 — Pulse vs Memory vs Other proactive assistants (short comparison)

  • Standard ChatGPT + Memory: Reactive — waits for prompts but remembers past context. Good for on-demand research tied to persistent context. (OpenAI Help Center)
  • ChatGPT Pulse: Proactive — performs autonomous daily research and surfaces cards. Requires Memory and opt-ins for integrations. (OpenAI)
  • Other assistants (Google/Apple/Meta vision): Some products focus on ambient intelligence within an OS; Pulse is specifically integrated into ChatGPT’s mobile app and leverages ChatGPT’s models + memory. (The Verge)

13 — SEO & content opportunities around Pulse (keyword ideas + article angles)

If you run a blog (like your “My AI Assistant”), Pulse opens many content angles. Suggested medium-to-low competition keywords to target:

  • “ChatGPT Pulse explained”
  • “How to use ChatGPT Pulse (2025)”
  • “ChatGPT Pulse privacy settings”
  • “ChatGPT Pulse vs ChatGPT memory”
  • “enable ChatGPT Pulse android”
  • “ChatGPT Pulse tips for creators”
  • “ChatGPT Pulse use cases for marketers”

Article ideas

  • “How ChatGPT Pulse can replace your morning news routine (step-by-step)”
  • “7 Pulse settings every creator should change right now”
  • “How I taught Pulse to write my YouTube video briefs” (case study)
  • “Privacy checklist for ChatGPT Pulse: what to enable & why”

SEO tips:

  • Use long-tail keywords and “how to” intents (users search for setup & privacy).
  • Publish quick guides + long-form comparisons (both do well).
  • Create screenshots / walkthroughs (mobile UI screenshots help CTR in search).
  • Build “Pulse + [your niche]” pillar pages (e.g., “Pulse for affiliate marketers”).

14 — Monetization & product ideas using Pulse

Pulse creates monetization hooks for creators and product builders:

  1. Membership guides & checklists — sell short checklists on how to configure Pulse for specific workflows (e.g., “Pulse for Social Media Managers”).
  2. Email course — turn relevant Pulse cards into a drip email lesson on productivity or niche topics.
  3. Affiliate content — Pulse can surface timely product mentions; write posts that expand on those briefs and include affiliate links (disclose transparently).
  4. Micro-SaaS idea — build a service that converts Pulse cards into formatted content (e.g., Evernote or Notion pages). Note: respect OpenAI terms and data privacy.
  5. Premium consulting — offer setup and optimization for busy professionals or creators who want to get the most from Pulse.

15 — Troubleshooting & what to expect during the preview period

If Pulse shows irrelevant content

  • Give feedback on the card (thumbs-down and “don’t show again”). Save relevant cards into a chat to refine context.

If Pulse doesn’t appear

  • Check: App updated, on mobile (iOS/Android), Pro subscription active, Memory enabled. Pulse is preview and region/plan gating may apply. (OpenAI Help Center)

If you see privacy concerns

  • Turn off integrations and delete or edit memories you don’t want used. Review account settings.

Expect UI changes

  • The preview period is for rapid iteration — UI and features will change. Keep an eye on official release notes. (OpenAI Help Center)

16 — Future possibilities & what to watch for next

Watch for:

  • Desktop/web rollout — Pulse is mobile-first; web and desktop support will likely follow. (OpenAI Help Center)
  • Wider availability — Pulse may expand to Plus and free users later with scaled features. (The Indian Express)
  • Deeper app integrations — more connected apps and third-party plugin capabilities.
  • Automations & actions — Pulse could evolve from suggestions to automated actions (send email drafts, schedule tasks). That will amplify benefits and privacy considerations.

17 — 20 FAQs about ChatGPT Pulse

1. What is ChatGPT Pulse?

ChatGPT Pulse is a proactive, mobile-only feature in ChatGPT that runs background research and delivers daily personalized update cards based on your chats, memory, and optionally connected apps. (OpenAI)

2. Is Pulse available on desktop/web?

No — at launch Pulse is mobile-only (iOS & Android); desktop/web support is not available in the preview. (OpenAI Help Center)

3. Who can use Pulse today?

Pulse is rolling out in preview to ChatGPT Pro users on mobile. Broader access to other tiers is expected later. (OpenAI)

4. Does Pulse require Memory to be turned on?

Yes. Pulse uses ChatGPT Memory to personalize cards; Memory must be enabled. (OpenAI Help Center)

5. Will Pulse access my email and calendar automatically?

No. App integrations are off by default; you must opt in to allow Pulse access to connected apps. (Axios)

6. Can I turn off Pulse?

Yes — Pulse can be disabled in settings, and you can also turn off Memory or specific integrations. (OpenAI Help Center)

7. Does Pulse train OpenAI models with my data?

OpenAI says Pulse data won’t be used to train models for other users, and safety filters are applied. Nevertheless, always review privacy policies and settings for sensitive info. (The Verge)

8. How often does Pulse update?

Pulse refreshes daily; it provides a finite daily set of cards rather than an endless feed. (OpenAI Help Center)

9. What types of cards does Pulse show?

Cards include daily briefs, meeting prep, project status, curated news, and action suggestions. (OpenAI)

10. How do I teach Pulse to be more relevant?

Use Memory entries, give feedback (thumbs up/down), and save cards to chat so Pulse learns your preferences. (OpenAI)

11. Is Pulse safe for medical, legal, or financial advice?

No. Use Pulse for summaries and suggestions, but consult professionals for medical/legal/financial decisions. OpenAI’s outputs are not a substitute for expert advice. (Venturebeat)

12. Will Pulse be free eventually?

OpenAI has indicated wider availability later, but details on tiers and timing were not finalized at launch. Expect phased rollouts. (The Indian Express)

13. Can I export Pulse cards to Notion/Evernote?

Not by default; but you can save cards into chats and copy content manually. Third-party automations could emerge. Respect privacy and terms when automating. (OpenAI)

14. How is Pulse different from Gmail/Calendar notifications?

Pulse synthesizes your chats, memory, and optional app data into targeted briefs — it’s an AI-driven summary rather than raw calendar/event alerts. (Axios)

15. Can developers build on Pulse?

At launch Pulse is a product feature; OpenAI may expand plugin or API integrations later. Keep an eye on developer announcements. (OpenAI)

16. Will Pulse replace manual prompting?

No. Pulse complements manual prompting — it helps by proactively giving ideas and summaries but manual prompts are still valuable for deeper tasks.

17. How do I stop Pulse using a particular memory?

Edit or delete that memory from Memory settings; Pulse will stop using it in future cards. (OpenAI Help Center)

18. Is Pulse available in India?

Pulse is rolling out to Pro users globally in preview; local availability can vary by region and app store. News coverage indicates OpenAI has targeted India with localized plans, so availability for Indian users is likely, though plan gating (Pro) may apply. (Financial Times)

19. Will Pulse consume a lot of mobile data?

Pulse sends compact cards and runs server-side research; data consumption should be modest, but frequent card expansion or multimedia content may use more data. Monitor app data usage in settings.

20. Where can I learn more or give feedback?

Use the in-app help & feedback options and OpenAI’s help center/release notes to report issues and suggest improvements. (OpenAI Help Center)

18 — Actionable checklist (What to do next)

If you want to try Pulse responsibly, follow this checklist:

  1. Update ChatGPT mobile app (iOS/Android). (OpenAI Help Center)
  2. Confirm subscription tier (Pro) for preview access. (OpenAI)
  3. Enable Memory only for non-sensitive context. (OpenAI Help Center)
  4. Keep integrations off initially; enable calendar only if you want meeting prep. (Axios)
  5. Curate Pulse for a week: thumbs-up useful cards, thumbs-down irrelevant ones. (OpenAI)
  6. Save helpful cards into chats and build content from them (blog ideas, scripts, briefs).

19 — Closing thoughts

ChatGPT Pulse represents a major directional step: moving ChatGPT from a reactive helper into a more agentic assistant that can anticipate user needs. For creators, marketers, and busy professionals Pulse can shave minutes — or even hours — off daily planning and ideation. But with proactive intelligence comes responsibility: tune settings, protect sensitive data, and treat AI outputs as aids, not authoritative sources.

If you run a blog or create content, now is a good time to publish helpful guides and niche case studies showing how Pulse helps real workflows (your readers will be hungry for hands-on examples). Keywords like “ChatGPT Pulse setup,” “Pulse privacy settings,” and “Pulse use cases for creators” are good targets for medium-competition long-tail content.

20 — Sources & further reading

(Selected reporting and official docs that informed this post)

  • OpenAI — Introducing ChatGPT Pulse (official announcement). (OpenAI)
  • OpenAI Help Center — ChatGPT Pulse article & release notes. (OpenAI Help Center)
  • The Verge — analysis and commentary on Pulse’s goals. (The Verge)
  • Axios — reporting on Pulse’s proactive features and privacy choices. (Axios)
  • TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Cointelegraph and others covering Pulse rollout and use cases. (TechCrunch)

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