AI & Models
Anthropic adds voice mode to Claude Code
Anthropic has launched a voice mode for its Claude Code assistant, currently available to about 5% of users, as the company reports rapid growth in revenue and usage.
Anthropic is rolling out a new voice mode feature for Claude Code, its AI coding assistant designed for developers. The feature allows users to interact with the tool via spoken commands rather than typing. Thariq Shihipar, an engineer at Anthropic, announced the gradual release of the feature on Tuesday, stating that the voice mode is currently live for about 5% of users. Anthropic plans a broader rollout of the capability in the coming weeks.
The voice mode is designed to streamline the development process. To use the feature, developers type /voice to toggle it on, speak a command, and Claude Code executes the request, such as refactoring authentication middleware. However, it remains unclear what the limitations of the new capability are, including whether there are caps on voice interactions or specific technical constraints. It is also unknown if the feature was built in collaboration with ElevenLabs, an AI voice provider with whom Anthropic was reportedly in talks. The release follows Anthropic’s launch of Voice Mode for its standard Claude chatbot last May, which allowed users to interact with the model via voice for general-purpose tasks.
The launch arrives as Claude Code experiences significant commercial momentum. Anthropic reported that Claude Code’s run-rate revenue—which represents a projection of annual revenue based on current performance—surpassed $2.5 billion in February. Additionally, the company reported that weekly active users for the tool have doubled since January. This growth comes amid intense competition in the AI coding assistant market, where Anthropic competes against several platforms for developers’ attention, including Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Google, and OpenAI. Despite this crowded field, Claude Code has emerged as a widely adopted tool in the market.
This expansion follows a period of high visibility for the company. Anthropic refused to allow the Department of Defense to use its AI for domestic surveillance or autonomous weapons. In the aftermath of this decision, the company’s mobile app saw a dramatic jump in user growth and rose to the top of the U.S. App Store charts.
Why it matters
The launch of voice mode marks a significant step toward more hands-free, conversational coding workflows. Meanwhile, the company’s rapid revenue growth underscores its strong market position against competitors like Microsoft and OpenAI.