ChatGPT Apps: How to Order Pizza, Call a Taxi, and Book a Hotel—Without Leaving the Chat

I was sitting in a coffee shop, scrolling through news, when I stumbled across a headline: "OpenAI Launches ChatGPT Apps Store." I thought—oh great, another hype cycle. Plugins 2.0, probably. Closed the tab.

A week later, a colleague showed me how he was planning his vacation. He wrote in ChatGPT: "Find me flights to Barcelona in March, a hotel downtown under 150 euros, and build me a five-day itinerary." Three minutes later, he had a complete plan with bookings ready to go.

I was like: "Wait, what?"

Turns out, on December 16, 2025, OpenAI quietly pulled off a revolution. No fanfare, no press conferences—they just transformed their text assistant into a full-blown platform that can do things in the real world. Call an Uber, book a hotel, create a playlist, order groceries—all through regular conversation.

Sounds like an ad from 2030? Let's break down how this actually works.

What Actually Happened and Why It Matters

Remember when Apple launched the App Store in 2008? Everyone was skeptical: "Apps for phones? Who needs that? I've got everything I need already."

Then came Instagram, Uber, Spotify, TikTok—and the world changed.

Something similar is happening right now. Only bigger. Way bigger.

The App Store in 2008 had 10 million users. ChatGPT right now has 800 million. Eighty times more. And OpenAI just opened the doors for developers who want to build apps inside this ecosystem.

ChatGPT Apps aren't plugins or extensions (remember those things nobody used?). These are full integrations with real services. AI doesn't just suggest—it books, orders, buys, creates. On your behalf. With your permission.

What Apps Are Available Right Now?

As of January 2026, ChatGPT has 11 official integrations:

In 2026, they're promising to add OpenTable (restaurant reservations), PayPal (payments right in the chat!), Walmart, Instacart, and a bunch more.

How This Looks in Practice: My Experiments

Spotify: A Playlist in 30 Seconds (And Why AI Knows My Taste Better Than I Do)

I used to spend an hour building party playlists. You open Spotify, try to remember songs, search for similar ones, then realize you forgot something important, start over...

Now I write:

"Spotify, make me a playlist for a house party. About 15 people, ages 25-35. Something energetic but chill enough to talk over. Indie rock, 2010s electronic, a bit of hip-hop"

One minute later—ready-made playlist with 25 tracks. And you know what? It's actually good. There were songs I'd forgotten I loved.

A journalist from TechRadar wrote that the AI understood his musical taste better than he did himself. I thought it was marketing BS. Turns out—nope.

More examples I tried:

• "Spotify, music for coding at 2 AM—no lyrics, not sleep-inducing, but not aggressive either" — got a perfect ambient and lo-fi mix
• "Spotify, what should I listen to if I like Radiohead but want something new?" — discovered three bands I'd never heard of
• "Spotify, tech podcasts that aren't boring" — found a couple of gems

DoorDash: Weekly Meal Plan (This Is Actual Magic)

This is my favorite integration. Shame it only works in the US.

You write:

"DoorDash, create a meal plan for a week for a family of four. Medium budget, no seafood, kids don't eat mushrooms or broccoli. And cooking should take max 40 minutes"

ChatGPT generates a seven-day menu. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners. With recipes.

And then—wait for it—automatically adds all the ingredients to your DoorDash cart. All you have to do is review and checkout.

When I saw this, I sat there with my mouth open for like five minutes. This is the killer of all meal planning apps. Why would I need a separate service when ChatGPT does it all by itself?

Canva: Design for Non-Designers

Need an Instagram post? Presentation? Poster?

"Canva, create an Instagram post announcing a sale. Minimalist style, colors—black and gold. Text: 'Black Friday—up to 50% off.' Square format"

One minute later—finished design. A masterpiece? No. But for small business or personal projects—more than enough. I used to spend half an hour in Canva clicking through templates. Now—one message.

Fair warning though: if you need something complex or unusual, you're still better off opening Canva manually. AI is great for typical tasks.

Uber: Convenient, But With Limitations

"Uber, what are my ride options from Times Square to JFK?"

ChatGPT shows all classes (UberX, Comfort, Black), estimated time, and prices. You can compare and choose.

But here's the catch: it only works on-demand. Want to book a car for tomorrow at 6 AM? Sorry, can't do that yet. Hopefully they'll add it.

Booking and Expedia: Travel Without the Headache

Instead of filling out forms and clicking through filters:

"Booking, find hotels in central Barcelona for March 15-20. Two people. 4 stars, up to 150 euros per night, with breakfast, near metro. And reviews not below 8.5"

Results—right in the chat. With prices, ratings, photos. Booking completes on their site, but all the search happens through conversation.

This is genuinely faster than doing it manually. Especially when you have lots of criteria.

How to Connect ChatGPT Apps (Two Minutes Max)

Method 1: Through Settings

1. Open ChatGPT (web or app)
2. Settings → Apps and Connectors
3. Find the app you need
4. Connect
5. Authorize (like signing in with Google)
6. Done

Method 2: Right in Chat (Even Easier)

Just write the app name at the start of your request:

"Spotify, create a playlist for morning running"

If the app isn't connected—ChatGPT will offer to authorize. Once. Then it works automatically.

Where This Works (Spoiler: Not Everywhere)

Bad news: ChatGPT Apps are currently only available in the US and Canada.

Europe (including UK)—on pause due to GDPR and Digital Services Act. OpenAI promises "soon," but no specific dates. Realistically—sometime in 2026.

Good news: when they launch—it'll work on all plans. Even free. You don't need to pay for Pro.

What About Privacy? (Honest Talk)

Let's be real: connecting apps means giving them access to data.

• Spotify will see your playlists and history
• DoorDash—addresses and orders
• Uber—ride data and location
• Booking—reservation history

For free and Plus users, there's another catch: data may be used to train OpenAI's models. You can opt out: Settings → Data Controls.

For Business and Enterprise—data isn't used for training by default.

My recommendations:

• Read permissions before connecting (yeah, boring, but important)
• For sensitive requests—use Temporary Chat
• Periodically check your list of connected apps

Paranoid? Maybe. But better safe than sorry.

App Store 2008 vs ChatGPT Apps 2025: Why History Is Repeating

"Okay, cool feature. But a revolution? Really?"

Let's look at the numbers.

App Store, July 2008:

• 500 apps at launch
• 10 million downloads in the first 72 hours
• By 2023, Apple had paid developers $320 billion

The first apps were... well, basic. Flashlight. Calculator. Beer simulator (I'm not kidding, it was genuinely popular).

But among that chaos emerged:

• Instagram—sold for $1 billion (two years after launch)
• Uber—valued at $80 billion
• Spotify—$50 billion
• WhatsApp—sold for $19 billion

Steve Demeter, a regular 28-year-old developer, made $250,000 in two months with the game Trism. The game cost $5. Ethan Nicholas made $600,000 in a month with iShoot.

Why? Because they came first. The niches were open. There was no competition.

We're at that exact same point now. With one difference: the audience is 80 times larger.

ChatGPT Apps vs GPTs vs Plugins: What's the Difference?

If you're confused—you're not alone. Quick cheat sheet:

Plugins (2023, RIP)

• Text integrations with no UI
• Worked poorly, nobody used them
• OpenAI shut them down in 2024

GPTs (Custom GPTs)

• Customized versions of ChatGPT
• You can create your own "character" with instructions
• No integration with external services
• Still work, but that's different

Apps (2025, current)

• Full integrations with real services
• Interactive UI (widgets, buttons, cards)
• Can perform actions (book, buy)
• OAuth authorization
• This is what this article is about

For Developers: How to Create Your Own App

On December 17, 2025, OpenAI opened applications. This means—soon ChatGPT will have apps not just from giants like Uber, but from independent developers too.

Technical foundation:

• Model Context Protocol (MCP)—open standard from Anthropic
• Apps SDK—for creating interfaces
• Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP)—for monetization

In practice: if you know JavaScript or Python—you can create an app for a platform with 800 million users.

Open niches (as of January 2026):

• Financial analysis for small businesses
• HR and recruitment automation
• Legal documents for startups
• Local business (restaurants, salons, fitness)
• Education and tutoring
• CRM integrations

If you're interested—we have a course on building ChatGPT Apps at CodeGym. The world's first production-ready course: 100 lectures, 20 levels, 40 practical tasks. From your first widget to publishing in the Store.

The program covers everything: MCP protocol, Agents SDK, monetization through ACP, OAuth, security, deployment on Vercel, Store listing. The course was created before the official store launch—so students are literally the first wave of developers.

FAQ: Common Questions About ChatGPT Apps

What are ChatGPT Apps?

ChatGPT Apps are integrations inside ChatGPT that let AI perform real actions: book hotels, order food, create playlists, call taxis. All through natural conversation.

Are ChatGPT Apps free?

Yes, ChatGPT Apps work on all pricing plans, including free. But the services themselves (Uber, Booking, DoorDash) charge their usual fees.

Which countries have ChatGPT Apps?

As of January 2026—only US and Canada. Europe is expected in 2026 after GDPR issues are resolved.

What's the difference between ChatGPT Apps and GPTs?

GPTs are customized versions of ChatGPT with instructions. Apps are integrations with real services that can perform actions (book, buy, order).

What's the difference between ChatGPT Apps and old Plugins?

Plugins were text-only and worked poorly. Apps have full UI, OAuth authorization, and can execute transactions. OpenAI shut down Plugins in 2024.

Which apps are available in ChatGPT?

As of January 2026: Spotify, Canva, Booking.com, Expedia, Figma, Coursera, Zillow, DoorDash, Uber, Target, Apple Music. PayPal, Walmart, OpenTable, and others coming in 2026.

How do I connect ChatGPT Apps?

Two ways: through Settings → Apps and Connectors, or just write the app name in chat (like "Spotify, create a playlist"). ChatGPT will prompt you to authorize.

Is it safe to use ChatGPT Apps?

Apps get access to your data in their respective services. Read permissions before connecting. For confidential requests, use Temporary Chat.

Can I create my own ChatGPT App?

Yes, as of December 17, 2025, OpenAI accepts applications from developers. You need JavaScript or Python knowledge, understanding of MCP protocol and Apps SDK.

When will ChatGPT Apps appear in Europe?

OpenAI promises "soon," but no exact date. Expected in 2026 after GDPR and Digital Services Act issues are settled.

Bottom Line: What This All Means

ChatGPT Apps aren't just a convenient feature. This is a new platform with an audience of 800 million people.

For regular users: a way to do everyday things faster. Instead of five apps—one conversation.

For developers: a chance to get into a new industry at the start. Like the App Store in 2008, only bigger.

The niches are open. The audience is massive. The infrastructure is ready.

The only question is—who's coming first.