ChatGPT on Mac can send messages via Apple Messages

On Mac, meal plans, birthdays and unfinished tasks that were once scattered across chat windows can now be retrieved with a single prompt. OpenAI has launched an Apple Messages connector for the macOS (Apple's operating system for its computers) version of ChatGPT. After obtaining system permission, users can search iMessage, SMS and RCS (Rich Communication Services) conversations, ask ChatGPT to organize the records and draft replies, and even have it send messages on their behalf.

It does more than simple keyword searches. Users can ask ChatGPT to find messages from the previous day that require follow-up, or have it read a friend's invitation to dine together, check the calendar for a suitable time and prepare a reply. Birthdays mentioned in messages can also be identified and added to the calendar. ChatGPT still places the proposed text in a confirmation card, and the message enters the conversation only after the user edits and confirms it.

But access is narrow. ITmedia NEWS reports that the connector currently exists only in the arm64 version of the macOS desktop app for Apple-chip Macs, and can be used only in Codex or ChatGPT Work chats. Regular ChatGPT chats, the web version, mobile apps, the Codex command-line tool and integrated development environment extensions are not supported. Users must also first grant message access in macOS and install Apple Messages from the plug-in list.

Sending permissions are the gate users need to watch most closely. The default setting requires users to check the message body and recipient one by one. “Allow this time only” applies only to the current send, while “Always allow sending to this conversation” causes subsequent messages to bypass human approval. OpenAI recommends keeping per-message confirmation enabled for conversations that may contain untrusted instructions or instructions that are easy to misunderstand. If a task is set to “Full access,” the approval prompt may not appear and the message may fail to send; in that case, the setting must be changed to request approval or allow approval on the user's behalf.

What exactly changes? For individual users, the feature reduces the steps needed to search chat histories for context and then switch to the calendar and messaging apps. For people using Codex or ChatGPT Work, it brings message retrieval and reply drafting into their workflows. However, it remains a launched feature constrained by platform, chip and chat type, rather than a system-level assistant available on every device. OpenAI says the connector runs locally and does not create an index of all messages, but TechCrunch notes that the relevant details are not yet fully clear. Users must still set their own boundaries around message permissions and automated sending.