New ChatGPT iMessage is here: OpenAI unveiled a new Apple Messages plugin for its ChatGPT on Mac on August 20, 2026, which allows the AI to read, search, compose, and send messages through Apple’s Messages app — covering iMessage, SMS, and RCS (Rich Communication Services — the newer messaging standard that replaces SMS). The upgrade, as documented by Bloomberg, opens a new round of data privacy concerns, as Apple has long positioned iMessage as a key component of its strategy to protect personal communications.
The plugin is available on all ChatGPT subscriptions — from the free version to Work and Codex — but there is one important technical limitation: it only works on Macs with Apple Silicon processors (M1, M2, M3 and later) and not on older machines with Intel processors. Full functionality also requires the latest version of the ChatGPT app for macOS.
See also: Europol: "Strike" in online fraud ring — Victims also in Greece
What ChatGPT can do with Apple Messages
The list of features enabled by the new plugin is impressively broad. The user can ask ChatGPT to search for specific messages from older conversations, summarize lengthy group discussions, suggest replies to unanswered messages, identify birthdays from past messages and add them to the calendar, and flag potential spam for deletion.
Suggested use cases published by OpenAI include commands like “check my calendar and reply to [name] with a few hours I’m available for dinner next week” or “suggest follow-ups from yesterday’s conversations.” The plugin is activated from ChatGPT’s Plugins interface and appears in the Public category.
macOS access requirements
For the integration to work, ChatGPT requires three levels of access to macOS: Full Disk Access , access to contact names, and permission to use the AppleScript (Apple's automation language) and Accessibility automation tools. The user must enable the aforementioned parameters from the Mac's System Preferences, a process similar to that required by automation tools such as OpenAI's own Codex Computer Use — a service that allows ChatGPT to monitor the user's computer.
OpenAI says the plugin runs locally on the user's computer and doesn't create a global index of all messages. It uses existing operating system tools — AppleScript (Apple's automation language) and the Accessibility framework — to interact with the Messages app. However, the technical details of exactly how the data is processed and to what extent it is transferred to OpenAI's servers for analysis have not been fully clarified.
The "key" of approval before each shipment
The plugin’s most critical security feature is that — by default — ChatGPT doesn’t send any messages without the user’s explicit approval of both the text and the recipients. The user sees the suggested text, can edit it before sending, and selects “Allow once” for each individual send. There’s also an option to “Always allow sending to this conversation,” but OpenAI explicitly discourages it in its documentation.
According to the official announcement, enabling permanent approval “removes ChatGPT’s last chance to verify the message before it is sent on your behalf.” The warning is particularly important in scenarios where ChatGPT acts on instructions that may come from external sources (e.g., file attachments or previous conversations), theoretically allowing malicious content to trigger the sending of unwanted messages through prompt injection techniques.
See also: Suspect arrested for global crypto fraud — Arrests also in Greece
Apple's silence and the privacy issue
Apple has not officially commented on the new integration. Given that the company has long touted iMessage as one of the most private messaging systems in the world — with end-to-end encryption and a lack of access even from Apple itself — the prospect of a third-party tool being able to read and send messages raises serious questions. The situation is compounded by Apple's recent lawsuits against OpenAI over product information theft, as reported by 9to5Mac.
The SecNews technical team recommends that Greek Mac users exercise caution. The plugin should only be activated for specific cases, without permanent authorization to send messages. In the context of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), companies that process personal data must carefully assess whether the activation of such tools on corporate Macs complies with the principles of data minimization and purpose of processing. The SecNews editorial team will monitor Apple's official response and any developments at the regulatory level.
