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Can ChatGPT control my iPhone?

Mobster documents a way for you to hand iPhone tasks from ChatGPT to Mobster Remote, if your plan and workspace allow custom MCP servers. Mobster follows OpenAI’s setup steps. It marks them “not yet run by us”. Through Remote, ChatGPT hands over a task in words. Mobster for Mac runs it on your connected iPhone. Codex has a separate, tested connection through the MCP server. Remote always asks for your approval on the Mac before a send, purchase, post or delete.

Follow the documented ChatGPT setup

Mobster Remote passes your task from a cloud assistant to Mobster for Mac. Mobster for Mac runs it on your iPhone. Your Mac dials out to the relay, so there’s no port to open.

  1. In Mobster for Mac, open Settings (⌘,), then Remote, and choose Turn on.
  2. In ChatGPT on the web, open ChatGPT Plugins, choose the plus button, then Add custom MCP server.
  3. Name it Mobster. Under Connection, choose Public endpoint and enter https://remote.mobster.dev/mcp. For authentication, choose OAuth.
  4. Read the warning, choose I understand and want to continue, then Create as a plugin.
  5. Sign in on “Connect ChatGPT to Mobster” with the account you use in Mobster for Mac. Choose your iPhone and Continue. Then choose Allow in Mobster on your Mac.

Then ask for a task that only reads, such as “What’s on my calendar tomorrow?”. The task shows in the sidebar of Mobster for Mac.

The setup in the Mobster docs uses ChatGPT on the web with sign-in authentication. OpenAI’s setup page does not identify eligible plans. It says “Account and workspace policies apply to adding and using custom MCP servers.” Check your account and workspace settings for Add custom MCP server.

What ChatGPT can do through Remote

  • Whole tasks in words. ChatGPT calls phone_task with your request, and Mobster runs it. ChatGPT checks a long task’s progress with phone_task_status. It uses run_workflow to start a saved workflow that has a webhook URL.
  • No taps of its own. It can’t tap, type or swipe. It never gets a picture of the screen. It can’t approve anything.
  • Approvals stay on your Mac. A task from a connected app always asks before it sends, buys, posts or deletes, even in Full access. If nobody answers within 10 minutes, the task ends without that action.
  • Limits. Each app starts at most 50 tasks a day.

Remote needs Mobster for Mac open on a Mac that’s awake and online, and the iPhone on a cable to that Mac or on the same Wi-Fi. A task on a locked iPhone waits 2 minutes for you to unlock it.

Let Codex drive the phone on your ChatGPT plan

Codex comes with ChatGPT plans such as Plus and Pro. Mobster uses it two ways.

  • Inside Mobster for Mac. Install Codex and sign in with codex login. Pick Codex in the composer, and Mobster runs your own Codex with your iPhone as its only tool. Each task counts toward your plan’s usage limits, with nothing to pay per task.
  • From Codex in your terminal. In Mobster for Mac, open Settings › Connectors and press Add beside Codex, or run this:
curl -fsSL https://mobster.dev/install.sh | shmobster mcp install codex

Codex then reads each screen as an outline of the elements it can act on, and calls tap, type_text and swipe itself. On an iPhone 15 Pro, Codex on the MCP tools in Mobster passes 9 of 14 read-only tasks. The median time is 34 s. The mean list-price cost is about 7¢ per task. Each task ran once. The results do not show whether these runs use a ChatGPT plan or an API key. On a real iPhone, Mobster for Mac asks for your approval the first time Codex uses each app. It also asks before every send, purchase, post or delete. Codex can’t approve these actions.

How to control my iPhone from my computer

  • iPhone Mirroring. Apple’s iPhone Mirroring lets you “wirelessly interact with your iPhone and its apps and notifications from your Mac.” Check Apple’s iPhone Mirroring guide for Mac compatibility, software requirements and regional availability.
  • Phone pane in Mobster for Mac. It shows your iPhone’s screen live. Use its hand button to tap and type on the phone yourself. It works over the cable, or over Wi-Fi as a preview.

What ChatGPT does on the iPhone by itself

Apple’s ChatGPT extension, set up in Settings › Siri › ChatGPT, lets Siri ask ChatGPT for information. Apple’s examples are requests such as a haiku, ideas for an afternoon, or a summary of a document open in Files. Apple’s guide describes getting answers. It doesn’t describe ChatGPT tapping through your apps.

Where it stops

  • A locked iPhone. Mobster never unlocks it or enters its passcode.
  • Face ID or a CAPTCHA. Mobster doesn’t get past them. Games that draw their own screens don’t work.
  • An app you turned off for agents outside Mobster in Settings › Safety. An app Mobster hasn’t used before asks first on your Mac.

What it costs

Mobster for Mac is free on any number of iPhones. Your ChatGPT plan is billed separately. Codex tasks that use your ChatGPT plan count toward that plan’s usage limits.

Give Claude Code or Codex your real iPhone through MCP covers the Codex setup step by step.

Questions

  • Can ChatGPT see your iPhone's screen through Mobster Remote?

    No. An assistant through Remote hands over whole tasks in words. It can't tap, type or swipe. It never gets a picture of the screen. It gets the task's answer, which can include text from the screen.

  • Can ChatGPT approve a send for you?

    No. "Yes, send it" sent through Remote approves nothing. You approve in Mobster for Mac on your Mac. If nobody answers within 10 minutes, the task ends without that action.

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