Apple approves Poke as the first AI agent on its Messages for Business platform

Poke, a startup that turns using AI agents into something as simple as sending a text message, has become the first AI agent approved to run on Apple’s Messages for Business platform. Previously, the platform was designed for businesses — airlines, retailers, hotel chains, and others — to communicate with their own customers through iMessage, offering a standardized interface that supports both automated chat and live agents. Until now, it hadn’t been open to stand-alone third-party AI agents.

Launched in March, Poke is one of the first AI agents designed to be accessible to everyday users who don’t have the technical skill set or inclination to work with command-line tools or more complex agentic systems, like OpenClaw. Today, Poke can help with common activities, like daily planning, managing your calendar, tracking your health and fitness, controlling your smart home, and editing your photos, all via text message. To date, it’s relayed some 100 million messages, the company tells TechCrunch.

The AI service operates over SMS, Telegram, and, in some markets, WhatsApp. Now Poke will be able to add iMessage to its supported platforms.

Say hi to the new Poke! 🌴Now officially approved by Apple to text on Apple Messages.As the first and only AI agent. Chat now: https://t.co/VIWYU64dUI pic.twitter.com/AtZxupI2Ji

The news of Poke’s launch on Apple’s Messages for Business comes just days ahead of Apple’s anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where it’s expected to introduce an AI-optimized version of Siri along with other AI tools and services for app developers. It is also rumored that Apple would open its App Store to AI agents.

That’s not quite the case here with Poke. Apple’s Messages for Business platform isn’t about offering a consumer-facing mobile app, but rather a way for consumers to interact with a business through iMessage’s interface directly. This allows consumers to reach out to businesses for information, support, appointment scheduling, and more, without having to call them by phone. Poke’s users ask the AI agent a question or make a request, and it responds via text.

For founders and investors, the more interesting detail may be the business model it opens up. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company of California, the Palo Alto-based startup behind Poke, says his startup will pay Apple on a per-user basis. While he can’t share the exact pricing, he notes that it’s significantly lower than Meta AI, after it increased fees in response to EU regulation that required it to permit third-party AI agents on What