> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.testingcatalog.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # OpenAI updates Codex and prepares Remote Control feature - URL: https://www.testingcatalog.com/openai-updates-codex-and-prepares-remote-control-feature/ - Published: 2026-04-30T23:54:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-05-01T00:25:28.000Z - Description: OpenAI updates Codex app with a redesigned onboarding flow, new connectors, annotation tools, and hints at remote desktop and side chat features. - Author: Alexey Shabanov - Tags: ChatGPT News, AI Rumours, AI Announcements, Latest AI News OpenAI has rolled out a Codex app refresh that extends the desktop client beyond its origins as a coding-only command center, moving toward broader white-collar workflows. The update introduces a reworked onboarding flow designed to cater to a wider range of professions, along with prompts to connect email, calendar, and Google Drive. Enhancements in speed and design have been made, and browser and computer-use capabilities now include annotation support, allowing users to mark up rendered pages and artifacts directly. > Codex for everything: > > \- Dynamic UI for the task at hand > \- 20% faster computer & browser use > \- Even better slides and sheets > \- Annotate in browser, artifacts, and code > \- Easier to get started > \- Cleaner design across the app > \- Performance improvements > \- (no clunky… [pic.twitter.com/re5Mlb13Qj](https://t.co/re5Mlb13Qj?ref=testingcatalog.com) > > — Andrew Ambrosino (@ajambrosino) [April 30, 2026](https://twitter.com/ajambrosino/status/2049928915872075984?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=testingcatalog.com) However, customers in Europe will not experience the full range of features, browser and computer-use functionality has been disabled in some regions without a public explanation. This mirrors a carve-out OpenAI already maintains for the EEA, the UK, and Switzerland on its macOS computer-use plugin. ![Codex](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2a/1b/2a1b1782-8506-4d7d-bf53-ad3fb52e2a0f/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-30-at-22.29.52.webp) Beneath the surface, the build includes several unannounced additions. A new Connections tab in Settings reveals an SSH option, enabling users to pair Codex with a remote desktop and instruct the agent to operate local apps remotely, a significant step toward cross-machine agency. ![Codex](https://storage.ghost.io/c/2a/1b/2a1b1782-8506-4d7d-bf53-ad3fb52e2a0f/content/images/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-30-at-22.29.40.webp) A Keyboard panel for remapping shortcuts is also included, and the previously spotted "[avatars](https://www.testingcatalog.com/openai-prepares-8-interactive-avatars-for-its-codex-app/)" feature has been quietly renamed to "pets." > A new feature sneaked in the Codex app’s latest update. You can now do /side (or use the ... menu) to spawn a side chat! Useful when you're deep in a thread and want to have a side question in the current context! [pic.twitter.com/9tywlE5GAp](https://t.co/9tywlE5GAp?ref=testingcatalog.com) > > — Thomas Ricouard (@Dimillian) [April 30, 2026](https://twitter.com/Dimillian/status/2049929842133520577?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=testingcatalog.com) Two slash commands complete the set: `/side` opens a parallel ChatGPT conversation in a side panel for auxiliary questions while a primary task is running, and `/goal` , revealed through recent GitHub commits, appears to allow users to assign Codex a longer-term objective, such as a KPI to work toward continuously. > /goal also lands in Codex CLI 0.128.0. > > Our take on the Ralph loop: keep a goal alive across turns. Don't stop until it's achieved. > > Built by my co-worker and OpenAI mentor Eric Traut, aka the Pyright guy. One of the GOATs I get to work with daily. > > — Felipe Coury 🦀 (@fcoury) [April 30, 2026](https://twitter.com/fcoury/status/2049917871799636201?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=testingcatalog.com) > Codex goal feature seems cool > > Looks like you can give Codex a goal and it’ll continue to work, plan, and test until it’s done? > > I’m just reading the commits here but that’s what I think it is? [pic.twitter.com/1T8RDXUvjD](https://t.co/1T8RDXUvjD?ref=testingcatalog.com) > > — Max Weinbach (@mweinbach) [April 30, 2026](https://twitter.com/mweinbach/status/2049904712510521853?ref%5Fsrc=twsrc%5Etfw&ref=testingcatalog.com) Strategically, this aligns with OpenAI's direction for Codex over recent months. The product is being repositioned as the super-app tier of ChatGPT, alongside Atlas and ChatGPT. The push for connectors, automation layers, and skills architecture all indicate a Codex that aims to be the operating surface for any knowledge worker, not just engineers. The `/goal` command, in particular, fits neatly into this strategy, moving toward the always-on agent paradigm that competitors like Anthropic's [Conway](https://www.testingcatalog.com/exclusive-anthropic-tests-its-own-always-on-conway-agent/) are also pursuing.