Apple Intelligence only runs on the iPhone 15 Pro and newer, and even then it won’t let you choose which model answers you. Ask ChatGPT fixes that by talking straight to OpenAI’s API from a single Shortcut, so an older phone can ask a current GPT model a question and get a real answer back.
Inside the shortcut
You trigger it from wherever you like, hand it a query by typing, speaking, or passing predefined text, and it sends that to your chosen GPT model, which can search the web on its own when a question needs fresh information. From there the reply goes one of three places: saved to Notes or a PDF, returned to whatever shortcut called this one, or turned into an action on your device, like adding a calendar event. That last mode is why the author frames it as “Apple Intelligence Plus” rather than a plain chat box.
What you’ll need
- Shortcuts app — built into iOS, nothing to install separately.
- An OpenAI API key — this runs on the API, not a ChatGPT subscription, so you generate a key at platform.openai.com and add a billing method. Usage is billed per request.
- Google Search API key (optional) — only if you want web results to come from Google rather than the default provider.
How to install
- Tap Add Shortcut on this page to open it in Shortcuts.
- Scroll the preview to the bottom and tap Add Shortcut to confirm.
- The download also pulls in the helper shortcuts it needs, including the OpenAI auth and transcription pieces.
- Open it once so iOS registers it for the Share Sheet and the Action Button.
First-run setup
The first launch walks you through the configuration that the shortcut remembers afterward. Have your API key ready before you start.
- Paste your OpenAI API key into the auth helper when prompted.
- Pick your default GPT model, or choose to be asked every time.
- Decide where output should land: Notes, a PDF saved to a folder you pick, or returned to a calling shortcut.
- Optionally set a persistent instruction that rides along with every prompt, so the model always answers in your preferred tone or format.
How to use it
Day to day, you fire it from the Action Button, a Back Tap, a Home Screen widget, or the Share Sheet, then ask your question. Dictation runs through OpenAI’s Whisper rather than Siri’s transcription, which the author credits for cleaner answers. To have the model look at something, hand it a screenshot or image; it has dedicated modes for that instead of guessing whether you meant to attach one. And since other shortcuts can call it, you can drop “ask a model” into a larger automation and use the response downstream.
Tips
Set a persistent instruction once and it pays off every run. Something like “answer in two sentences unless I ask for more” keeps replies short when you’re triggering from a button. To swap your default model without re-editing the shortcut, the author points to a separate MoE Text Editor shortcut.
FAQ
Do I need a ChatGPT Plus subscription for this?
No, and a subscription won’t even help here. The shortcut uses the OpenAI API, which is a separate product with its own key and pay-as-you-go billing. Set up a payment method on the platform site first, or requests will fail.
Will this work on my older iPhone that can’t run Apple Intelligence?
That’s a large part of the point. Apple Intelligence needs an iPhone 15 Pro or newer, but because this calls the API directly it should run on much older hardware as long as it’s on a current enough iOS to use Shortcuts.
Can other shortcuts call this one?
Yes. One of its output modes is returning the model’s response to a calling shortcut, so you can use it as an “ask a model” building block inside your own automations.
