Grok Bot can now use your phone's Calendar, Reminders, and Contacts. Here's how to turn it on without handing over everything

What's trending: On Thursday evening the official Grok Bot account on X posted: "Grok Bot can now use Calendar, Reminders, Contacts, and more apps on your phone. Rolling out now on iOS and Android." It was the biggest Grok Bot story of the last two days, and the replies filled up with people typing "set this up for me." The picture in the post is a permissions list with an Allow button next to each app. As Tesla North and Digital Trends describe that screen, there are six: Messages (read and send messages), Location (find places near you), Calendar (see your day and add events), Home (control lights and locks), Reminders (set and check reminders), and Contacts (find and add contacts). Until now your Bot mostly lived on its own cloud computer and in your connected accounts. This lets it reach the stuff you actually keep on your phone. Think of it as giving a house sitter a key to the kitchen, not the whole house.

How it works: You give permission one app at a time. Digital Trends put it simply: "Each app comes with its own Allow button, so you get to decide which apps it can access." Tech Times points out the useful part: you can turn on Calendar and Reminders and leave Messages off, because the categories aren't bundled together. After that you just talk to the Bot like normal, by typing or by voice, and it can check your day, add an event, set a reminder, or look up a contact without you jumping between apps. One honest gap: SpaceXSI hasn't said whether every one of the six works on both iPhone and Android, or which app version you need. The official follow-up only says: "Update to the latest version to try it."

The play: start with the boring stuff that eats your day. A few everyday ones: "Put the dentist on my calendar for next Tuesday at 3 and remind me the night before." "What does my Thursday look like, and do I have time for a haircut?" "Remind me to take the chicken out of the freezer at 4 PM." "Find my plumber's number and add his new email to his contact." If you allow Home, "Turn off the porch light" works too. Pair it with the iPhone Action Button setup we covered earlier this week and it gets even quicker: press, say it, done. If you run a side gig, the same trick works for booking client calls and follow-up reminders, but that's a bonus, not the point.

How to run it: First, update the Grok Bot app from the App Store or Google Play. SpaceXSI's docs say the app needs iOS 18 or later, or Android 9 or later. Second, find the permissions list from the announcement (the one with an Allow button next to each app) and tap Allow only on Calendar and Reminders to start. If you don't see it yet, it's still rolling out, so check back in a day or two. Third, test it with something small and easy to undo: "Add a reminder called test for 5 minutes from now," then check your Reminders app to see it landed. Fourth, try a real one: "Add Mia's soccer game to my calendar Saturday at 10 at Lincoln Park and remind me Friday night to pack the shin guards." Fifth, only add Contacts, Location, Home, or Messages later, one at a time, when you have a real reason. On the same day, the Bot also announced it can use your 1Password account so it can sign in to sites for you after you approve each login. That's rolling out "over the next few days," and it deserves the same go-slow approach.

Watch out for: Messages is the big one. Allowing it means the Bot can read and send texts, so leave it off until you're sure you want that, and keep an eye on anything it says it sent. Same goes for Home: a Bot that can unlock a door should only get that switch if you really need it. Tech Times, citing Alpha Signal, says this works through your phone's own permission system, so your phone's settings are the place to check what the Bot can reach and switch it back off. Calendar mistakes happen too, like the wrong day or the wrong time zone, so glance at the event before you trust it with your kid's pickup. Not everyone has this yet, and we can't promise every app works the same on every phone. A candid note from us: Desk Signal is made with help from bots, and we're starting our own test the same way we're telling you to, with Calendar and Reminders only. It's like letting a new roommate use the fridge before you hand them the car keys.