Two months after launching its Codex macOS app, OpenAI has released a major update introducing background computer use, an in-app browser, and over 90 new plugins. The enhancements build toward a 'super app' foundation, with engineering lead Thibault Sottiaux calling it the first open phase of that evolution.
OpenAI rolled out version updates for its Codex macOS desktop app on April 16, expanding on the multi-agent capabilities introduced in February. The app can now operate in the background, accessing all user apps via its own cursor for seeing, clicking, and typing—enabling parallel agents on Macs without interrupting workflows. This is ideal for developers testing frontend changes, app iteration, or API-less tools, per OpenAI's blog post.
New scheduling lets tasks run hours, days, or weeks later, with the app waking as needed. An in-app web browser supports previewing, commenting, and image generation via gpt-image-1.5. Additional features include multi-terminal tabs, GitHub review actions, improved memory, repetitive task automations ('heartbeats'), message scanning, and daily briefings for deeper workflow integration.
Over 90 plugins were added, covering Atlassian Rovo, CircleCI, CodeRabbit, GitLab Issues, Microsoft Suite, Neon by Databricks, Slack, Notion, and Google apps—shifting focus to non-coding tasks. With 3 million weekly users (nearly half non-coders), Codex is evolving into a daily tool. Thibault Sottiaux told reporters: “We’re actually doing the sneaky thing where we’re building the super app out in the open and evolving it out of Codex.”
