Codex iOS adds /side conversations, diff summaries, and Spotlight shortcuts

• OpenAI shipped a sizable Codex Mobile iOS update that adds /side conversations, end-of-turn diff summaries, archived remote threads, one-tap model switching, and Apple system hooks, according to reach_vb's feature list.
• The new /side flow lets users ask follow-up questions without breaking the main task thread, as shown in testingcatalog's side conversation demo and echoed by jxnlco's repost of the update note.
• Diff summaries bring a desktop-style review step to mobile, with TheRealAdamG's repost about the diff component describing a quick view of what Codex changed at the end of a turn.
• The update also pushes deeper into iOS integration: sound4movement's shortcuts demo showed native shortcuts, while sound4movement's search controls post, the new task control post, and the open Codex control post surfaced dedicated Control Center and search actions.

You can scan the full feature list, jump straight to a /side demo, see the diff UI called out, and then get into the Apple-native bits through shortcuts, search controls, and an Open Codex control.

The headline feature is a mobile version of /side, which opens a parallel lane for clarifications while the main task stays intact.

That is a small UI change with a very coding-agent use case. Mobile sessions are usually where you want to inspect or steer a run without rewriting the whole thread, and /side gives Codex a cleaner way to do that from the phone.

OpenAI also moved desktop-style change review onto iOS. According to the repost describing the diff component, each turn can now end with a summary of what changed, so the user does not have to reconstruct edits from the raw transcript.

The same update pushed the mobile transcript closer to desktop, per the transcript note, which matters because diff summaries work better when the surrounding task history is easier to scan.

The broader update list in reach_vb's feature list also includes archived remote threads and one-tap model switching.

Those two additions make Codex Mobile feel less like a thin companion app and more like a front end for ongoing remote work:

• Archived remote threads let old runs stay accessible from the phone, per reach_vb's feature list.
• One-tap model switching reduces the amount of setup needed to change how a task runs, again from the same feature list.
• Better setup and reconnect flows were shipped in the same batch, according to reach_vb's post.

The Apple integration story is broader than a single Shortcuts action. sound4movement's shortcuts post showed Codex hooks exposed to iOS, and later posts surfaced more native entry points.

The currently surfaced controls include:

• Spotlight and Shortcuts support, listed in reach_vb's feature roundup.
• Native iOS shortcuts for Codex, shown in sound4movement's demo.
• A search control for Codex, shown in the search controls post.
• A Create a New Task control, shown in the new task control post.
• An Open Codex control, shown in the open Codex control post.
• App Library exposure from a long press action, shown in the App Library post.

That last batch is the most quietly useful part of the update. It turns Codex from an in-app feature into something iOS can invoke directly from system surfaces.