Anthropic upgrades Claude voice mode with Opus and Sonnet models

Anthropic has upgraded Claude's voice mode to run on its most capable models, Opus and Sonnet, expanding beyond the previous Haiku-only availability Source: The Next Web. The update, announced Thursday, allows users to switch between models mid-conversation and grants voice mode access to connected apps like Gmail, Slack, and Canva Source: The Verge.

What changed

• Voice mode previously ran only on Haiku, which kept conversations quick but not deep. Opus and Sonnet are designed for hard problem-solving Source: Engadget.
• Users can switch between Haiku, Sonnet, or Opus during a conversation, and the mode defaults to the last model used in text Source: The Verge.
• Voice mode now supports more languages: French, German, Spanish, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, and Portuguese Source: The Verge.

New capabilities

Voice mode can now act on spoken requests by integrating with external apps. For example, users can ask Claude to push a meeting on Google Calendar, summarize emails, or turn a spoken pitch into a Canva document Source: The Next Web. Claude asks for permission before using tools Source: The Next Web.

Comparison with OpenAI

Unlike OpenAI's GPT-Live, which is full-duplex and can listen and speak simultaneously, Claude's voice mode remains turn-based: it listens, pauses to think, then replies Source: Engadget. Anthropic stated, "This release is focused on intelligence and tool access," promising more updates later this year Source: Engadget.

The new voice mode is in beta for all users on mobile, desktop, and web. Free users are limited to Haiku and a single connected app, while paid subscribers get access to the smarter models and full tool set Source: The Next Web.