How to Text Your ChatGPT Dot via iMessage or RCS

ChatGPT Dots can now reach you in your phone’s messaging app. OpenAI started rolling out texting in beta to Pro users in the US on October 28, 2026. You send tasks by text, photo, or voice note. Your Dot texts back with updates, even when you have not opened the ChatGPT app.

This works over iMessage on iPhone and RCS on Android. Plain SMS is not supported. The conversation stays one-to-one. Your Dot cannot see your other messages, and only you can text it.

If you have not set up a Dot yet, start with our ChatGPT Dots setup guide.

What texting with your Dot does

Dots are always-on agents powered by GPT-6 Astra. They keep working in the cloud after you close a chat. Texting adds a native channel next to ChatGPT, Slack, and Microsoft Teams.

You can assign ongoing work or ask the Dot to watch something. Examples include price alerts, trip updates, or document drafts. The Dot texts you when something needs attention. Context and plugins carry over from the app, so you do not repeat instructions.

OpenAI partners with Linq to handle the messages. The company ran penetration testing with frontier models and external firms before the beta.

Requirements before you start

You need a ChatGPT Pro plan. The beta is limited to users in the United States. Availability is gradual, so the Texting option may not appear for every Pro account yet.

On iPhone, turn on iMessage. On Android, enable RCS in your messaging app (Google Messages or the default app that supports it). The feature does not work over SMS.

You must already have a Dot created in ChatGPT. The rollout does not create one for you.

How to enable texting

1. Open the ChatGPT app on mobile, desktop, or a desktop browser. Go to your Dot’s profile.
2. Select Texting. Follow the prompts to verify your phone number.
3. Confirm iMessage is active on your iPhone or RCS is enabled on your Android phone.
4. Your Dot sends an introductory text. Save the contact that appears in your messaging app.
5. Reply to the thread to start. The same Dot and memory stay available across ChatGPT and text.

If Texting does not appear, wait for the gradual rollout or check that your account is Pro and located in the US.

Sending tasks and receiving updates

Send a text message, a photo, or a voice note. The Dot treats these the same way it treats input in the ChatGPT app. It can reply with text, photos, or voice notes.

Ask it to monitor a product price or check a calendar conflict. When the condition is met, it texts you first. Approvals that need a decision still open in the ChatGPT app in many cases, according to early reports.

Group chats, phone calls, and FaceTime are not supported over the text channel. You can still call your Dot inside ChatGPT.

Privacy and limits

Only you can text your Dot, and it can only text you. Setting up the feature does not grant access to your other conversations. Memory updates stay shared across channels, but messages remain in their respective apps.

The beta is US-only for now. Europe and other regions do not have texting yet. OpenAI has not announced a timeline for wider access or for Plus, Business, or Enterprise plans.

If you receive an automatic reply when you try SMS, switch to iMessage or RCS.

Tips for better results

• Give clear, ongoing instructions once. The Dot remembers across text and app.
• Use photos for visual tasks such as receipts or product screenshots.
• Tell the Dot which updates belong in text versus the ChatGPT app.
• Review permissions on any plugins the Dot uses, since those stay active.

Conclusion

Texting puts your ChatGPT Dot in the messaging app you already check. Pro users in the US can enable it from the Dot profile and start receiving proactive updates over iMessage or RCS. The same context and tools follow you, without opening the main app every time.

Check official release notes for the latest availability. For more on Dots, see the setup guide.

Sources

• OpenAI ChatGPT release notes (October 28, 2026 entry on Texting your dot)
• ChatGPT Learn documentation on Dots channels
• Official @ChatGPT announcement on X