OpenAI has launched a plugin for the Apple Messages app, allowing ChatGPT Work and Codex users on Mac to search messages and draft and send replies through the chatbot on their desktop. As Bloomberg notes, the integration could raise privacy and security concerns.

The feature is opt-in, requiring users to grant multiple permissions during setup. They must allow ChatGPT to access their Mac's on-device Messages history, change privacy preferences in System Settings to give ChatGPT Full Disk Access, and grant access to contact names and automation tools. In other words, nobody would be installing the plugin by accident.

It's unclear if OpenAI worked with Apple to develop the plugin, but Apple has a history of cutting off third parties' access to its services. In 2024, it kept disabling Beeper Mini chat app's access to iMessage until Beeper gave up. Notably, Apple and OpenAI aren't on the best terms recently — the iPhone-maker sued OpenAI in July, accusing it of trade secret theft and hiring away employees to obtain confidential information.