Here’s how ChatGPT can read and send your Apple messages

Technology Here's how ChatGPT can read and send your Apple messages The opt-in plugin needs Full Disk Access and works only inside ChatGPT Work and Codex.

Key points

• In 2024, the firm repeatedly disabled Beeper Mini's access to iMessage until the reverse-engineered chat app's developers ceased trying to restore it.
• The plugin is backed in every ChatGPT desktop plan on macOS but is only functional in ChatGPT Work and Codex but not in regular ChatGPT conversations.
• Pareesa Afreen is a reporter and sub editor specialising in technology coverage, with 3 years of experience.
• The feature works with iMessage, SMS and RCS conversations, giving the chatbot a level of access to personal communication it hasn't had before.
• As Bloomberg points out, nobody ends up with this enabled by accident, that multi-step chain means.

OpenAI has introduced a plugin that lets ChatGPT read, search, draft and send messages through Apple's own Messages app on Mac, and as Bloomberg notes, the move is already raising privacy and security questions.

Notably, the feature works with iMessage, SMS and RCS conversations, giving the chatbot a level of access to personal communication it hasn't had before.

For context, the plugin is backed in every ChatGPT desktop plan on macOS but is only functional in ChatGPT Work and Codex but not in regular ChatGPT conversations.

In an example from OpenAI itself, a user asked ChatGPT to locate the missing conversations from the previous day and then obtained an assistant to write and respond using the Messages app.

In practice, the plugin could be applied to summarise conversations, look for any spam that needs to be deleted, or search for birthdays to put into the calendar. At present, the plugin is only backed in Apple Silicon Macs.

Users must approve ChatGPT's access to their Mac's on-device Messages history during setup and then separately grant Full Disc Access through macOS System Settings, along with permission to see contact names and employ automation tools.

As Bloomberg points out, nobody ends up with this enabled by accident, that multi-step chain means. Since doing so removes the final check before a message goes out under a user's name, sending a message still requires manual approval by default, and OpenAI explicitly warns against turning on persistent approval.

Notably, the timing here is notable too: Apple sued OpenAI in July, accusing the firm of a scheme to extract confidential product information by hiring away Apple employees, and Apple reportedly dropped OpenAI in favour of Google's Gemini for its own AI features earlier this year.

Pareesa Afreen is a reporter and sub editor specialising in technology coverage, with 3 years of experience. She reports on digital innovation, gadgets, and emerging tech trends while ensuring clarity and accuracy through her editorial role, delivering accessible and engaging stories for a fast-evolving digital audience.

In short, here's how ChatGPT can read and send your Apple messages is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.