OpenAI introduced the Sora iPhone app Tuesday, and by Friday, it had already hit the No. 1 spot on Apple’s Top Free Apps list. The secret of the new AI video app’s appeal? It’s a lot of fun, letting users create hilarious short videos with a simple text description.
Watch some of the hilarious (and amazing) videos people have already created, there go make your own.
OpenAI’s new Sora 2 app is huge leap for AI video
Sora 2 is OpenAI’s next-generation video-and-audio generation model that lets users create short videos from text or images. It’s “more physically accurate, realistic, and more controllable than prior systems,” promises OpenAI. Support for synchronized dialogue and sound effects certainly helps. Of course, this isn’t the first source of AI-generated videos. But the ones it makes are noticeably more realistic. And this is the system that’s at the heart of the popular new Sora iPhone app.
There’s no Android version — OpenAI made the Sora app an iPhone exclusive. This follows a long tradition that sometimes boosts a new app’s appeal. When Instagram launched in 2010, it was exclusive to iOS users, for example. And Clubhouse also started out as an iPhone-only app.
Users are having fun with Sora app
Much of the appeal of Sora 2 comes from making funny videos. OpenAI itself started off the fun when it introduced Sora 2 by sharing on social media a video of a cat ice skating and a dog visiting a space station.
Sora 2 is here. pic.twitter.com/hy95wDM5nB
— OpenAI (@OpenAI) September 30, 2025
Users have taken the system and run with it. There’s “Saving Private Pikachu” demonstrating how easy it is to insert the iconic Pokémon into classic films:
My favorite new trend in the Sora app is putting Pikachu in every movie.
This is “Saving Private Pikachu” pic.twitter.com/pV8JYUb9SZ
— Justine Moore (@venturetwins) October 1, 2025
Another had Pikachu get pulled over by police:
⚡ Sora 2 prompt: "Realistic body cam footage of a police officer pulling over a red Ferrari with Pikachu driving. pikachu only says "pika pika" and moves the head in fear, It was a serious offence, so the cop is extremely angry and tries to open the door of the car before… pic.twitter.com/F88WiD0s69
— Javi Lopez ⛩️ (@javilopen) October 2, 2025
And there’s a mashup of Family Guy and Wednesday, which is funny but also a demonstration that OpenAI hasn’t built into Sora any protections for copyrighted characters:
No big deal, I’m just making personalized videos on Sora with my favorite copyrighted characters owned by Disney and Amazon/Netflix and featuring an identifiable actress who is definitely not getting paid for this…. pic.twitter.com/yfgfrForjL
— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) October 1, 2025
Another user predicts a tsunami of fan-made salutes to classic anime with one of their own:
I tested the AI model Sora 2 on classic anime, the result is hardly believable…
I can already see the hundreds of fanmades and parodies that are going to come out! Sora 2 is definitely a new step in AI anime.. pic.twitter.com/npWkSJjjML
— Naegiko (@naegiko) September 30, 2025
These examples barely scratch the surface of the vast array of AI-generated videos possible with the Sora iPhone app.
Sora invite code needed
With all the potential for fun, it’s no surprise that the Sora iPhone app now sits in the No. 1 spot in the Top Free Apps category in the App Store. Unfortunately, it’s likely that many of the people installing it came away a bit disappointed.
The app is free to download from the App Store, and users can sign in as a new user or with an existing OpenAI account. However, actually using the app requires an invite code from OpenAI. Without one, the software is useless.
But there’s hope! You might be able to score a code, and OpenAI promises wider availability of Sora 2 in the future.
How to get a Sora invite code
The sure way to get full access to all the features of the Sora app is to ask to be notified when they become available. Download the application from the App Store, open it, sign in using a ChatGPT account, and you’ll get to the screen asking for a Sora invite code. Look at the bottom of the screen for “Notify me when access opens.” Tap on that text, then permit the app to send you notifications, and at some point you’ll get a message directly from OpenAI when everyone can start using Sora.
Get it from: App Store
Potentially a quicker option is to ask for help from all your friends, family and coworkers. There might be a Sora user in the group, and those who’ve already been allowed access by OpenAI each get a few Sora invite codes to share.
Some people who have spare codes post them on social media. Search on X, Threads, etc. for “Sora” and you might get lucky.
Just be careful of people selling Sora invite codes online. It’s a category wide open to scammers. Buy one if you wish, but don’t be surprised if it’s worthless.
