DeepSeek Opens App Features Through Its API
Developers can now enable web search, file reading, OCR and voice in their own applications through three endpoints.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Job Search
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DeepSeek has made the capabilities of its consumer app available through its API, including web search, file reading, link reading, safety checks, OCR and voice. The company also published an open-source chat demo that can import conversation history exported from the DeepSeek app.
Why it matters
The move lets developers build products that reuse features already offered in DeepSeek's consumer app rather than assembling them separately. It also gives users a way to carry exported chat history into an open-source interface.
The documentation specifies three endpoints (Messages, Responses and Chat Completions) through which the features can be enabled, with examples using the model name deepseek-flash. Pricing, rate limits and regional availability have not been published in the documentation.
The players
DeepSeek
DeepSeek is a Chinese artificial intelligence company that develops large language models and offers a consumer chat app alongside its developer API.
The details
Web search is enabled through a tool parameter that lets the model cite its sources, while users can upload PDF, Word, PowerPoint and image files that are parsed into text. Voice is handled by standalone speech-to-text and text-to-speech services, and some settings such as temperature and top-p are ignored when search, link reading, high safety or titles are enabled.
Timeline
• DeepSeek announced API availability of app features on November 13, 2026.
Market Landscape
The release extends DeepSeek's consumer app features, including web search, OCR and voice, to developers, placing the company's API alongside rival AI providers that also sell model access to outside builders. It signals a competitive push to win developer adoption, not only consumer users, in the AI model market.
Developers evaluating DeepSeek should confirm pricing, rate limits and regional availability before building on the API, since the documentation does not state them. Those choosing the open-source chat demo can export their DeepSeek app conversation history and import it into that interface.
The takeaway
Developers gain access to DeepSeek's consumer app features through a single API, but should verify cost and availability before committing to it. Users who want to keep their chat history can import it into the open-source demo.
Further reading
For related developer tooling and career context, see Job Search.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Startup Fortune.
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