OpenAI has launched an Apple iMessages plug-in for ChatGPT that allows users to connect their Messages inbox to the chatbot, giving the AI system access to conversations for tasks ranging from searching message histories to drafting and sending texts.
The feature expands ChatGPT’s role from a standalone chatbot into an assistant capable of interacting with users’ personal communications. OpenAI said the plug-in can sort, analyse, and edit messages, while users can also ask ChatGPT to find information contained in older conversations.
The integration works with Codex and ChatGPT Work, meaning the functionality can also be used in professional settings rather than being limited to personal messaging.
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A promotional video for the feature shows a user asking ChatGPT to suggest follow-up messages to contacts based on conversations received the previous day. The tool can also be instructed to delete messages, draft responses, and send messages on a user’s behalf.
That level of access makes the integration one of the more consequential extensions of AI assistants into everyday digital activity. Instead of simply generating text in response to a prompt, ChatGPT can use a user’s existing conversations as context and take actions inside the messaging environment.
The development also raises questions about how much personal data an AI assistant needs to access to perform those tasks and how that information is processed.
OpenAI told Bloomberg that the plug-in operates locally on the user’s machine and “doesn’t create an index of all someone’s messages.” The company has not publicly provided all of the technical details needed to explain how message data is accessed, processed, and retained under the integration.
The ability to send messages introduces another layer of risk because an AI system is not only interpreting private conversations but can potentially act on a user’s behalf.
OpenAI advises users to monitor ChatGPT’s activity and discourages enabling persistent approval for message-sending actions. The company warns that persistent approval “removes your final chance to review a message before ChatGPT sends it as you.”
That warning underpins the distinction between using AI as a drafting tool and allowing an agent to execute actions autonomously. A generated response can be reviewed and changed before it is sent, while autonomous sending creates the possibility that an inaccurate interpretation, inappropriate tone, or mistaken recipient could result in a message being delivered without a final human check.
The Messages integration is part of a broader push by OpenAI to make ChatGPT an agent capable of interacting with applications and data on a user’s device. The company’s strategy involves connecting its models to external tools so they can search information, manipulate files, write code, and perform tasks rather than simply answer questions.
For users, the appeal is convenience. Conversations that once required manually searching through years of messages can potentially be retrieved with a natural-language request. Routine follow-ups can be drafted from existing context, while professional users could use the same capabilities to work with communications without repeatedly switching between applications.
The trade-off is that the more deeply an AI assistant is integrated into personal and professional workflows, the greater the importance of clear controls over access, permissions, and actions.
OpenAI’s decision to keep the processing local, as described by the company, is intended to address some of those concerns. But the practical privacy implications will depend on how the plug-in communicates with ChatGPT, what information leaves the device, how permissions are enforced, and whether users can easily determine what the system has accessed.
The Messages integration therefore marks a significant expansion of ChatGPT’s capabilities, but also puts greater emphasis on the safeguards surrounding agentic AI. The technology is moving from helping users write messages to potentially reading, organizing, and sending them. But safety advocates warn that this makes human oversight and transparent permission controls necessary as AI assistants gain access to more personal data.