Anthropic launches Voice Mode for Claude Code, enabling hands-free coding with spoken commands

Claude Code rolls out a voice mode capability | TechCrunch

Anthropic is bringing Voice Mode to Claude Code, the company's AI coding assistant for developers. The launch of voice mode marks a significant step toward more hands-free, conversational coding workflows. Thariq Shihipar, an engineer at Anthropic, announced the feature's gradual release on X on Tuesday. According to Shihipar, voice mode is now live for about 5% of users, with a broader rollout planned in the coming weeks. Voice mode is designed to streamline the coding experience by letting users interact with Claude Code through spoken commands. To enable it, type /voice to toggle it on, then speak your command and Claude Code will execute the request. For instance, "refactor the authentication middleware." It remains unclear what the limitations of the new capability are, including whether there are caps on voice interactions or specific technical constraints. It's also unknown if this feature was built in collaboration with a third-party AI voice provider like ElevenLabs, with whom Anthropic was reportedly in talks with. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment from TechCrunch. Anthropic launched Voice Mode for its standard Claude chatbot last May, allowing users to interact with the model via voice for a variety of general-purpose tasks. The competition in AI coding assistants is fierce, with Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Google, and OpenAI all vying for developers' attention. Yet, Claude Code stands out as one of the most widely adopted tools in the market today. In February, Anthropic reported that Claude Code's run-rate revenue surpassed $2.5 billion, more than doubling since the beginning of 2026. Plus, weekly active users have doubled since January. Meanwhile, Claude's mobile app has seen a dramatic jump in user growth after the company refused to allow the Department of Defense to use its AI for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. In the aftermath, the app soared to the top of the U.S. App Store charts, overtaking ChatGPT.

Anthropic rolls out new Voice Mode for Claude Code assistant

Anthropic engineer Thariq Shihipar announced the gradual rollout of Voice Mode for Claude Code. The feature is currently live for approximately 5% of users with a broader release planned for the coming weeks. The launch expands the AI coding assistant's capabilities to include hands-free interaction, positioning it against competitors like Microsoft's GitHub Copilot and OpenAI. The feature follows the standard Claude chatbot's Voice Mode, which launched in May 2025. Voice Mode enables users to speak commands directly into Claude Code. Users can toggle the feature by typing "/voice" and issuing spoken requests, such as "refactor the authentication middleware." The company stated the update aims to streamline the coding experience through conversational workflows. Anthropic reported that Claude Code's run-rate revenue surpassed $2.5 billion in February 2026. This figure represents a doubling of revenue since the beginning of 2026. Weekly active users for the platform have also doubled since January. The specific limitations of the new Voice Mode, including interaction caps or technical constraints, remain unclear. It is unknown if the feature was built using a third-party provider, such as ElevenLabs. Anthropic has not yet responded to requests for comment from TechCrunch regarding the feature. Claude Code competes with Microsoft's GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Google, and OpenAI in the AI coding assistant market. Anthropic's mobile app recently topped the U.S. App Store charts, overtaking ChatGPT. The surge followed the company's refusal to allow the Department of Defense to use its AI for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons.