OpenAI has launched a plugin for the Apple Messages app, and as Bloomberg notes, it could raise privacy and security concerns. At the moment, it’s only available to ChatGPT Work and Codex users on Mac, allowing them to search messages and even draft and send replies through the chatbot on their desktop. In the example OpenAI posted, the user asked ChatGPT to look for conversations they’d missed the day before in their Messages app. They then used the chatbot to write and send their reply.

The feature is, at least, opt-in. Bloomberg says users will have to do several things to allow the plugin to work. First, they’ll have to allow ChatGPT to access their Mac’s on-device Messages history when the permissions screen pops up during the setup process. They’ll also be prompted to change their privacy preferences in Mac’s System Settings to give ChatGPT Full Disk Access. In addition, they’ll have to give ChatGPT access to the names of their contacts and to automation tools. In other words, nobody would be installing the plugin by accident. 

It’s not quite clear if OpenAI worked with Apple to develop the plugin, but the latter has history of cutting off third parties’ access to its services if they didn’t get permission. In 2024, for instance, it kept disabling Beeper Mini chat app’s access to iMessage until Beeper gave up rolling out fixes that re-enabled the integration. It’s also worth noting that Apple and OpenAI aren’t quite on the best of terms recently. The iPhone-maker sued OpenAI in July, accusing it of trade secret theft. It claimed that OpenAI specifically hired its employees away with the purpose of obtaining confidential company information.