OpenAI finally released its long-awaited GPT-5 model this week, unsurprisingly proclaiming it its best yet with regards to coding, accuracy, safety and more. CEO Sam Altman even compared the jump up in quality to when the iPhone first adopted a Retina display in a press briefing ahead of the announcement. Big talk indeed.
Given ChatGPT’s integration with Apple Intelligence, you might be wondering when the latest model will arrive on the devices that support it. The answer is sooner rather than later: Apple says that Apple Intelligence will leverage GPT-5 in iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS Tahoe 26. Those software updates are set to arrive in their final form, as they traditionally do, at the tail end of the summer, so you won’t have to wait long. The news was first reported by 9to5Mac.
Currently, ChatGPT is an optional add-on to Apple’s own AI model. It can be accessed by Siri when you’re making a request that Apple Intelligence on its own might not be able to handle, with Apple using the example of questions about photos and documents. ChatGPT also integrates with Camera Control in your iPhone’s Camera app to learn more about your environment, and if you connect your ChatGPT account you can save your requests in your personal history.
ChatGPT has to be activated as an extension to Apple Intelligence in settings, and if you turn it off you won’t have to worry about Siri turning to an external model if you’re concerned about it doing so. OpenAI says GPT-5 is its safest model to date, thanks in part to a new feature called Safe Completions, which means it will attempt to give the most helpful answer it can within safety parameters imposed by its maker.
GPT-5 is free for everyone, but OpenAI offers tiered paid plans for heavier users, from its $20 per month ChatGPT Plus subscription, right up to the $200 per month Pro plan that offers unlimited use. If you have one of these plans, you can log in through Apple Intelligence and gain all the same benefits.
Update, 12:19PM ET: This story includes confirmation to Engadget that GPT-5 will be in Apple’s forthcoming iOS, iPadOS and macOS updates planned for next month.
