NewsDated, short, quotable.
News
Short posts about what Facelet is doing and why. Newest first.
- People keep asking OpenAI for a face in Voice mode. Facelet is one.Since ChatGPT Voice reached the desktop in July 2026, the OpenAI community forum has filled with requests for a visual avatar during voice conversations. Facelet answers them on the Mac, using the subscription you already have. · 3 min read
- Why Facelet runs on your ChatGPT subscription and charges nothing per minuteEvery real-time avatar we could find bills by the minute or asks for an API key. Facelet does neither. Here is why that was possible, and what it means for the price. · 3 min read
- Why the face is rendered on your Mac and not streamed from a serverStreaming a face from the cloud costs money every minute and puts a server between you and the conversation. Facelet draws its character on your Mac’s graphics chip instead. The trade-offs, plainly. · 3 min read
- Grok’s 3D companions are being retired. What a companion on the Mac should be.xAI is removing Grok’s animated companions from September 2026. If you liked having a face to talk to, here is what to look for in the next one: a native app you own, on the AI you already pay for. · 3 min read