A hidden setting in the ChatGPT iOS app allows users to adjust the intensity of the AI’s thinking before it generates an answer, it has been confirmed. Users can choose how deeply the AI will reason before sending a question, assigning more thinking time to complex prompts and faster responses to simpler ones.

Tech site TechRadar reported on June 19 that the feature appears when users long-press the send button in the ChatGPT iOS app. Users can choose one of three options: High, Medium or Instant.

The core of the feature is that even with the same ChatGPT model, users can adjust the time and intensity used for reasoning before generating a response. For simple fact-checks or short questions, users can select Instant mode to get a quick answer. For questions requiring complex analysis or reasoning, High mode can be used to prompt a deeper response. Medium mode is introduced as an option that balances response speed and answer quality.

The setting does not apply across an entire account. Users can select a different thinking level each time they enter a prompt, depending on the situation. For example, they can use Instant mode for simple search-type questions and select High mode for writing work reports or solving complex problems. TechRadar described it as offering "the freedom to adjust it the way you want for each prompt."

Access is limited. The feature is provided only to users on paid ChatGPT plans, and it is reported to be unavailable on free accounts. It is also not separately announced, so many users may not know it exists.

Access differs by operating system. On iOS, the menu appears only when users long-press the send button, but Android does not support the same method. Instead, Android users can long-press a response and then go to the model change menu to select a thinking-type version of the current model or an instant-type version to use a similar function.

The difference shows that user experience design is being applied differently by mobile operating system. In particular, some point out that the iOS version has poor accessibility because the feature is placed like a hidden menu even though it exists. TechRadar rated it as "a hidden setting you keep using once you discover it."

In the industry, the feature is seen as an example showing that competition in generative AI is moving beyond simple model performance toward expanded user control and interface differentiation.

Recent AI services are evolving in a direction that lets users directly choose not only response quality but also speed, cost and reasoning intensity. In mobile environments in particular, user experience (UX) design is emerging as a new competitive factor because actual usage can vary significantly depending on how the same function is presented.