OpenAI Announces New Sora Features and Upcoming Android Release
Key Points
- Sora topped the U.S. and Canada App Store charts after a late‑September launch.
- New "cameo" feature lets users create AI personas of pets, toys and other objects.
- Basic video‑editing tools will enable stitching multiple clips together.
- Social updates will add dedicated channels for universities, companies and sports clubs.
- OpenAI is working to ease moderation strictness and boost app performance.
- An Android version is announced as "actually coming soon" with pre‑registration available.
- Roughly two million users have downloaded Sora within its first month.
OpenAI revealed a suite of updates for its viral AI‑video app Sora, which recently topped the U.S. and Canada App Store charts after a late‑September launch. The upgrades include basic video‑editing tools, a new "cameo" feature that lets users turn pets, stuffed toys and other objects into AI personas, and expanded social channels for groups like universities and sports clubs. Sora head Bill Peebles also confirmed that an Android version is "actually coming soon," with pre‑registration already available on Google Play. The app, still invite‑only, has already amassed roughly two million downloads within its first month.
Background
OpenAI's Sora, an AI‑generated video app, quickly rose to the top of the App Store in the United States and Canada after its launch in late September. The app remains the No. 1 download in those markets and has attracted an estimated two million users in less than a month, according to third‑party data from Appfigures. Sora continues to operate on an invite‑only basis and is currently available only in the United States and Canada.
New Creation Tools
Bill Peebles, head of Sora, announced on X that the next few days will bring a set of new creation tools. The most visible addition is the "character cameo" feature, which allows users to generate AI personas of pets, a guinea pig, a favorite stuffed toy or "pretty much anything else" by providing a short reference video. These cameos can be shared with friends, enabling others to produce videos that include the user‑generated AI characters. The UI will be updated to display the latest trending cameos in real time, encouraging users to explore and register new personas.
Video Editing Features
Sora will also introduce basic video‑editing capabilities, starting with the ability to stitch together multiple clips. The company indicated that additional editing tools will be added over time, expanding the creative possibilities for users who want to refine their AI‑generated content.
Social Enhancements
The upcoming update includes an overhauled social experience. New dedicated channels are planned for specific communities such as universities, companies, sports clubs and other groups, providing a more organized way for users to share and discover content. OpenAI also said it is working to reduce the "excessive moderation" that some users have complained about and to improve overall app performance.
Android Release and Growth
While Sora is currently listed on the Google Play Store for pre‑registration, OpenAI has not disclosed a specific launch date for the Android version. Peebles described the Android rollout as "actually coming soon," indicating that a release is imminent but without providing an exact timeline.
The rapid adoption and strong rankings on the App Store, combined with the upcoming feature set and an anticipated Android launch, suggest that Sora is positioned to maintain its momentum in the competitive AI‑generated content market.