Apps in ChatGPT connect it to services you already use, such as Google Drive or Slack, so it can find a file, summarise a document or look up a message without you copying anything across. You switch one on in Settings, then Plugins, call it in a chat with @ or the + menu, and ChatGPT may ask for your approval before it reads or changes anything.
Quick clarification first: if you were after the ChatGPT phone app, that's the one you download from your app store. This page is about the apps you connect inside ChatGPT, which is where it stops being a clever chat box and starts working with your own files, inbox and team chat. Everything below comes from OpenAI's own help page on connected apps, as of Nov 2026.
What a connected app does
OpenAI describes an app as a link between ChatGPT and an external service, so ChatGPT can reach information there or take supported actions for you. Some apps also give you something to click inside the chat, such as maps or cards. Depending on the app, you can:
- Search and reference information from the connected service.
- Use supported apps as sources in deep research.
- Work with maps, cards, documents or other in-chat app experiences.
- Take supported actions, such as creating or updating information.
The services the help page names include Google Drive, Slack, Gmail, GitHub, iCloud Mail and iCloud Calendar. Don't expect to see the same list as a colleague, though. Availability depends on the app, your ChatGPT plan, your region, your workspace, your role, the model and the interface you're using. If someone at another company has an app you can't find, that's usually the reason, not a fault on your side.
How to connect your first app
Connected apps sit under Plugins in Settings. As of Nov 2026 the steps are:
- Open Settings, then Plugins. On a very old version of the iOS or Android app it may still say Apps.
- Select the app, or the plugin that includes it, and choose Install plugin if that button appears.
- Select Connect, or carry on through the app's own setup flow if it starts by itself.
- Sign in to the account that already holds the information you want, for example the Google account with your project files.
- Review the services and permissions it's asking for, then finish the provider's authorisation.
Some apps don't need an individual sign-in at all, or use a connection your administrator manages. Some support more than one connected account, which helps if you keep work and personal files apart. To remove one later, go back to Settings, then Plugins, and disconnect it. The connected service may have its own unlink option too, so check there if you want a clean break.
Calling an app inside a chat
Type @ followed by the app name, or select + and pick it from the menu. Some interfaces tuck extra options under More. OpenAI's own example, once Google Drive is connected to an account that can see your project files:
Try this prompt
Find my project brief in Google Drive and summarize the next steps.
ChatGPT may stop and ask for approval before it reads information or completes an action. Read that request before you click. It's the moment you find out what it's about to touch, and it's the bit most people wave through too quickly.
There's one more use worth knowing about. Eligible users can create a task in Work that runs when a connected app receives a matching event. The supported events OpenAI names are new Gmail messages, new Slack channel messages and GitHub pull request activity in authorised github.com repositories. If an action needs approval, the task pauses until you've reviewed it, so nothing that needs a yes runs without you. Bear in mind that app use can count toward your plan limits, feature allowances and any limits the app provider sets.
The four permission settings, and what they can't do
This is the part I'd read twice. OpenAI lists these permission options for apps:
| Setting | What it means | My take |
|---|---|---|
| Always ask | ChatGPT checks with you before it acts in the app | Where I'd start |
| Allow read actions | Reading is pre-approved; ChatGPT asks for anything beyond that | Fine once you trust the app |
| Allow low-risk actions | Low-risk actions run without the extra check | Only for apps you use daily |
| Allow all actions | Supported actions may run without another confirmation; OpenAI says it carries elevated risk | Skip it |
Two details matter. Allow all actions is only offered for an eligible app or account, and the standard account-wide and workspace-wide selectors don't offer it at all. And the one most people miss: permissions don't grant an app new access. They only change when ChatGPT asks you. If you want an app to stop reaching your data, changing the setting won't do it. Disconnect the app, or ask your workspace administrator to disable it.
What the app gets to see
Once you enable an app, OpenAI says it may be able to access information from your ChatGPT chat to give context to your request. If you've switched on ChatGPT Memory, the app may also use relevant memories when it's responding. On top of that, apps can see the basic details any website gets when you visit: your IP address, device or browser type, language and region settings, and approximate location. Whatever is shared is then handled under that app's own terms of service and privacy policy, not OpenAI's.
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Then there's training. For ChatGPT Business, Enterprise and Edu customers, OpenAI doesn't use information accessed from apps to train its models by default. For Free, Plus, Go and Pro users, it may, if the Improve the model for everyone setting is on. So on a personal plan, that one switch decides whether your Drive files and Slack messages can end up in training. I cover where it sits in what ChatGPT keeps and what to switch off.
Apps in a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace
At work, your admin has the final say. In ChatGPT Business many apps are switched on by default, but administrators can change that. New Enterprise and Edu workspaces start with a selected set of enabled apps instead. If an app shows Disabled by admin, there's nothing to fix on your end: ask an administrator to review the app or its plugin. They'll find it in the Admin Console by selecting the workspace and opening Plugins.
Installing a plugin doesn't replace any sign-in or workspace approval its apps need, so a colleague can't get round an admin decision by installing a bundle.
App or plugin: which is which
The two words get used as if they're the same thing. They aren't. An app connects ChatGPT to one external service, such as Google Drive. A plugin packages capabilities into a workflow and can include one or more apps, skills, or both. Some plugins contain only skills and don't connect to any outside service. If you're weighing up plugins themselves, my guide to finding, installing and building ChatGPT plugins goes further. And if a developer wants to plug in one of your own systems, that's a different job again: connecting a custom MCP server.
When an app won't connect
- Check the app is available on your plan, in your region and in your workspace before anything else.
- If it says Disabled by admin, only an administrator can change that.
- Can't find Plugins on your phone? Update the app; very old versions still say Apps.
- For iCloud Mail and iCloud Calendar, which are separate plugins, you'll need an Apple app-specific password, and the Mail address must end in icloud.com, me.com or mac.com.
What I'd do
I'd connect one app you open every day, probably Google Drive or Slack, keep Always ask switched on for the first few weeks, and watch what ChatGPT asks to do. I'd skip Allow all actions entirely: the time it saves isn't worth an action running without a second look. If you're on a personal plan, check the Improve the model for everyone setting before you connect anything with client files in it. Features and limits change often, so check OpenAI's own help page for the latest.
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Frequently asked questions
Where do I find apps in ChatGPT?
As of Nov 2026 they're under Settings, then Plugins. Very old versions of the iOS or Android app may still show Apps instead of Plugins.
Do permission settings give an app more access?
No. OpenAI says app permissions don't grant an app new access; they only change when ChatGPT asks you. To remove access, disconnect the app or ask your workspace administrator to disable it.
Does OpenAI train on data from my connected apps?
On Business, Enterprise and Edu, not by default. On Free, Plus, Go and Pro, it may if your Improve the model for everyone setting is on.
What's the difference between a ChatGPT app and a plugin?
An app connects ChatGPT to an external service such as Google Drive or Slack. A plugin packages capabilities into a workflow and can include apps, skills or both.
Why does an app say Disabled by admin?
Your workspace administrator controls which apps are enabled. Ask them to review the app or its plugin in the Admin Console under Plugins.
