The national mobile messenger "KakaoTalk" will undergo a sweeping overhaul for the first time in 15 years since its launch. Starting the afternoon of the 23rd, when users update KakaoTalk, they will be able to edit messages already sent in chat rooms, and they will also be able to record and summarize the voice call service "Voice Talk." Starting next month, ChatGPT will be embedded in KakaoTalk so users can use ChatGPT without closing the app. Going forward, KakaoTalk will also send "first talk" messages that proactively reach out at moments when reservations, schedule management, or shopping are needed after understanding the context within users' conversations.
Chung Shina, Kakao CEO, said at the developer event "if(kakao)" held at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, under the theme "Possibility becomes everyday," that "KakaoTalk will serve as an innovation window that moves from the mobile era to the era of artificial intelligence (AI)." Chung added, "A revamp this big is the first in KakaoTalk's history," and "The phrase 'KaTalk me' will no longer simply mean 'send a message,' but I believe it will be interpreted in a new way as experiencing a bigger world through Kakao AI."
◇ Edit messages within 24 hours; chats can be sorted by "friends" and "work"
Changes taking effect starting today include message editing, Voice Talk call recording, transcription, AI summarization, and search features. Previously, if you wanted to edit a message already sent, you had to delete that message and resend it, but from now on you can freely edit within 24 hours. However, if the recipient has read the message, editing is possible but an edit indicator will remain. Kakao won positive feedback in Aug. by extending the message deletion window from 5 minutes to within 24 hours.
The "chat room folders" feature debuting in the KakaoTalk "Chats tab" lets users set groups themselves to categorize chat rooms. For example, you can sort chats into up to 10 categories such as friends, work, and clubs. A feature in the "Unread" folder within the Chats tab lets you slightly pull down a chat list to view unread messages, and there is also a feature where AI summarizes messages in unread chat rooms.
The KakaoTalk "Friends tab" will shift from a phone book–style list to a feed to increase user time spent. Like Instagram, it lets you see friends' daily updates, photos, and posts at a glance. Users can view profile changes and posts in a timeline without tapping each profile one by one. When a user updates a profile photo, status message, or D‑Day, or writes a post, it appears in a grid feed on the profile home.
KakaoTalk's "Open Chat tab" will change to the "Now tab," where users can use short-form videos and open chat. Users can scroll through various short-form videos and share them directly with friends, and watch videos together in a chat room while communicating. The "Open Chat Community" introduced in open chat allows users to see trending conversations at a glance in a feed without entering individual chat rooms. A comments feature is also applied.
◇ ChatGPT-5 rollout; first talk that reaches out when needed by grasping context
AI functions will also be widely integrated into KakaoTalk. The biggest change is the introduction of KakaoTalk's ChatGPT, jointly developed after announcing a collaboration with OpenAI in Feb. Kakao will let users easily use generative AI functions by tapping the "ChatGPT" icon at the top of the Chats tab, just as you would click a relevant chat room in the Chats tab to start a conversation with a friend. Users can share conversations exchanged with ChatGPT and generated content directly to chat rooms. What differs from conventional ChatGPT is that it links Kakao's existing services such as Gift, Kakao Map, Melon, and Reservations. The version applied this time is the latest ChatGPT-5. Users cannot ask unlimited questions; it is only available up to OpenAI's free usage limits, the company noted.
Kakao also previewed changes that integrate its in-house AI technology and service Kanana into KakaoTalk. Using the on-device (embedded) AI model "Kanana Nano," KakaoTalk will understand conversational context on its own and send messages proposing activities such as schedule management, reservations, purchases, and knowledge searches. For example, if you are talking with a friend about visiting Lotte World, information such as directions or how to buy tickets will arrive as a separate notification rather than in the chat window, in line with the context. Or if you discussed making a restaurant reservation with a friend, it will notify you on the day of the appointment. The "Kanana in KakaoTalk" feature will accept beta test applications on the Kanana website starting today, and selected users will be able to experience it from mid-next month.
The # search, which had been linked to the Daum portal search, will change to the AI "Kanana Search." Even without entering a query, you can click a keyword that came up during the conversation to automatically perform a relevant search.
◇ KakaoTalk usage time declining… Instagram up
According to the analytics platform Mobile Index, KakaoTalk's average monthly usage time per person was 674 minutes as of Aug. 2025, while Instagram's average monthly usage time per person was 998 minutes. KakaoTalk's average monthly usage time hit 826 minutes as recently as Mar. 2022, but fell to 769 minutes in Mar. 2023 and 731 minutes in Mar. 2024. In contrast, Instagram's average monthly usage time rose from 578 minutes in Mar. 2022 to 716 minutes in Mar. 2023 and 882 minutes in 2024.
At the second-quarter earnings announcement this year, Chung said, "If users encounter ChatGPT in ways such as receiving shared ChatGPT search results while chatting with friends, we can expect the effect of naturally bringing users in."