OpenAI has officially unveiled advanced plugins for iCloud Mail and iCloud Calendar, allowing ChatGPT to read, organize, and manage a user's emails and events. As the company noted in its official announcement, the feature has been 'frequently requested' and is now available for integration. Users can ask the AI to find a specific email, summarize incoming messages, check upcoming events, or modify calendar entries — all through simple text prompts without needing to open separate applications.
Availability across all platforms and tiers
The new toolkit works on all platforms where the chatbot operates: the desktop version, web interface, and mobile app for iOS. Crucially, the feature is open to both free account holders and paid tier subscribers. This means that subscription-tier restrictions, typical for several other advanced ChatGPT features, do not apply here. To activate it, users simply need to follow a few steps to connect their Apple account in the integration settings.
Cloud-only operation, no local apps
The plugins interact exclusively with Apple's cloud services and do not have direct access to local applications on macOS computers. This means that if a user manages email or calendar through a third-party client not synchronized via iCloud, ChatGPT plugins will not work with it. The integration is built strictly around the Apple ecosystem: data is read and modified via the iCloud server infrastructure, which simultaneously simplifies technical implementation and limits the potential user audience.
Release against the backdrop of legal disputes between OpenAI and Apple
The launch of the new plugins comes at a complex moment in the relationship between the two tech giants. On one hand, ChatGPT has become the first artificial intelligence directly integrated into the Siri voice assistant, making Apple one of the key distribution channels for the model. On the other hand, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI accusing it of trade secret theft while simultaneously announcing a partnership with Google to update its own language models. Thus, the companies' public rhetoric and their actual product interaction develop in parallel and frequently contradict each other.
Continuation of partnership despite conflict
Despite legal disputes, the tech companies continue their joint work. Apple announced an update to the Creator Studio suite for Pages, Numbers, and Keynote, adding a new chatbot operating partially on OpenAI models. These tools debuted alongside the presentation of new iMac and MacBook Pro computers powered by M6 chips. The situation demonstrates that neither side is yet ready to completely sever the partnership: high competition in the AI market and the need to retain user bases make the mutual interdependence of the two corporations resilient even under legal conflict.
