Apple approves Poke as the first AI agent on its Messages for Business platform
Source: TechCrunch
Poke (poke.com), a startup that makes using AI agents as simple as sending a text message, has become the first AI agent approved to run on Apple’s Messages for Business platform. The platform, previously limited to partnered businesses such as airlines, retailers, and hotel chains, offers a standardized interface for business messaging that supports both automated chat systems and live agents. Until now, it had not been open to AI agents.
Background
Launched in March, Poke is one of the first AI agents designed for everyday users who lack the technical skill set or inclination to work with command‑line tools or more complex agentic systems. Today, Poke can help with common activities such as daily planning, calendar management, health and fitness tracking, smart‑home control, photo editing, and more—entirely via text message. To date, the service has relayed roughly 100 million messages, according to the company.
The AI service operates over SMS, Telegram, and, in some markets, WhatsApp. With Apple’s approval, Poke will now add iMessage to its supported platforms.
Business Context and WWDC
The news arrives just days before Apple’s anticipated Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), where the company is expected to introduce an AI‑optimized version of Siri and other AI tools for developers. It has also been rumored that Apple may open its App Store to AI agents.
Apple’s Messages for Business platform is not a consumer‑facing mobile app; rather, it enables consumers to interact with businesses directly through iMessage. This allows users to request information, support, appointment scheduling, and more without making a phone call.
Image credit: Poke / The Interaction Company of California
Business Model
Marvin von Hagen, co‑founder of The Interaction Company of California, the Palo Alto‑based startup behind Poke, says the company will pay Apple on a per‑user basis. While exact pricing is undisclosed, von Hagen notes it is significantly lower than the fees Meta AI pays after EU regulation forced Meta to permit third‑party AI agents on WhatsApp.
Image credit: Poke / The Interaction Company of California
“I think that Apple is just noticing this is the best way to offer AI, and… actually, good for them, because they charge us per user on the platform and actually make money with this, especially if it becomes really big,” von Hagen said.
Apple Approval Process
Gaining Apple’s approval required Poke to demonstrate that it could offer live support if needed and that the AI agent was clearly identified as such. The company also submitted testimonies from its messaging providers and customized its user interface to meet Apple’s guidelines.
- Link previews: On iMessage, Poke must display link previews instead of inline links.
- Design language: The UI follows Apple’s style guide for buttons and other interface elements.
Image credit: Poke / The Interaction Company of California
“This took a couple of months to adhere to all of these standards, and it will take anyone else who wants to build on this — it will also take them a couple of months to get through this approval process,” von Hagen explained.
Trust and Positioning
Von Hagen emphasized that being the first AI agent approved was largely a matter of trust:
“It was also just important that we were very aligned in terms of the positioning of the company. We care about quality, we care to have a brand that signals trust.”
Future Outlook
It remains unclear whether Apple will announce additional news about AI agents on its Messages for Business platform at WWDC. Poke is currently rolling out invites to existing users, allowing them to optionally switch to the iMessage experience.
Apple was not immediately available for comment.