ChatGPT can now read and send your iMessages on Mac

What's new

On August 20, 2026, OpenAI launched a new integration between ChatGPT and Apple's Messages app on Mac. This means ChatGPT can now read your conversations, search message history and write or send replies on your behalf. The feature works with iMessage, regular SMS and RCS messages (the newer standard for text messages between different types of phones).

For example, you can ask ChatGPT: "Check my calendar and reply to Peter with some times I'm free for dinner next week" or "Find birthdays in my messages and add them to the calendar." So ChatGPT can both dig up information in old conversations and compose new replies for you.

What's clever

The clever part is that you don't have to write everything yourself. ChatGPT can gather information from several message threads, summarize long conversations and draft replies that you just need to approve. It also runs locally on the Mac itself via Apple's own tools AppleScript and Accessibility, and not on OpenAI's servers, which according to OpenAI means better control over your data.

By default, you must approve each message before it is sent, and you can see who it is going to. You can also choose to give ChatGPT ongoing access to a specific conversation so it can reply without asking each time, but OpenAI itself advises against doing so without understanding the risk.

Cheaper or better?

The feature requires no extra payment. It is included in ChatGPT Work (OpenAI's business subscription) and in the Codex tool in the Mac app, with no separate monthly price for the feature itself mentioned by the sources. So it does not work in the regular free ChatGPT chat, only in the business and developer tools mentioned on macOS.

It also requires a Mac with an Apple Silicon chip (the newer Mac models with M chips); it does not work on older Intel Macs. The sources briefly compare it with Meta's AI app, which has previously faced similar privacy concerns, but without concrete figures for speed or accuracy compared with competitors.

What it's good at

The feature is especially good for people who spend a lot of time keeping track of messages for work: finding appointments, summarizing long threads, or sending quick replies without having to switch apps. For companies that use ChatGPT Work, it can save time on routine communication. On the other hand, you should think twice before giving the AI full access to private messages, as it raises questions about data security and privacy, as several media outlets have pointed out.