Apple Lets First AI Agent Into Its Messages for Business Platform
Apple has officially approved Poke as the first AI agent to run on its Messages for Business platform, marking a significant shift in how the tech giant handles AI on its messaging infrastructure. The move is the first time Apple has opened the platform to an AI agent, having previously restricted access to partnered businesses such as airlines, retailers, and hotel chains.
Poke, built by the Palo Alto-based startup The Interaction Company of California, is designed to make AI agents as easy to use as sending a text. Launched in March, the service lets everyday users manage calendars, track fitness, control smart home devices, edit photos, and handle daily planning, all through a simple text message. The company says it has now relayed over 100 million messages across its supported platforms, which include SMS, Telegram, and WhatsApp in select markets. With Apple’s approval, iMessage joins that list.
The timing is hard to ignore. The announcement lands just days before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, where the company is widely expected to unveil a revamped AI-powered Siri and new tools for developers. There have also been reports that Apple plans to open its App Store to AI agents. Poke’s approval on the Apple Messages for Business platform is a different path into the ecosystem, but it signals where Apple’s thinking may be heading.
For Apple, Poke’s arrival also represents a new revenue stream. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of the company behind Poke, confirmed that the startup pays Apple on a per-user basis. He noted the fees are considerably lower than those charged by Meta after WhatsApp raised its rates in response to EU regulations requiring it to allow third-party AI agents. “Apple is just noticing this is the best way to offer AI… good for them, because they charge us per user on the platform and actually make money with this,” von Hagen told TechCrunch.
Getting onto the Apple Messages for Business AI agent pipeline was not a simple task. Apple required Poke to demonstrate it could provide live human support when needed, that its AI identity was clearly disclosed to users, and that its interface conformed to Apple’s design standards. Link previews replaced inline links, and the UI was updated to follow Apple’s style guidelines. The process took several months. Von Hagen says anyone else looking to follow a similar path should expect the same timeline.
Poke is currently rolling out invites to existing users, giving them the option to switch to the iMessage experience. Apple has not commented publicly on the approval.
