Apple approves Poke as the first AI agent for Messages for Business

Poke, the startup focused on making AI agents as easy to use as sending a text message, has become the first AI-powered agent authorised to operate on Apple’s Messages for Business platform. Until now, Apple’s messaging service was primarily intended for businesses such as airlines, retailers, hotels, and other organisations to communicate directly with customers through the Messages app, offering a standardised environment that supports both automated interactions and human support agents. Independent third-party AI agents had not previously been allowed on the platform.

Introduced in March, Poke is among the earliest AI agents designed specifically for everyday consumers who may not have the technical expertise or desire to work with command-line tools or advanced agent systems such as OpenClaw. The platform currently assists users with a variety of everyday tasks, including organising daily schedules, managing calendars, monitoring health and fitness activities, controlling smart home devices, and editing photos, all through simple text-based conversations. The company says it has already facilitated approximately 100 million messages since its launch.

Poke currently functions through SMS, Telegram, and, in certain regions, WhatsApp. With the latest approval, the startup can now extend support to Apple Messages for Business, allowing users to interact with the AI agent through a verified business account within Apple’s messaging ecosystem.

The timing of the announcement is notable, arriving just ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, where the company is widely expected to unveil a more AI-focused version of Siri, along with new AI tools for developers. Industry speculation has also suggested that Apple may reveal plans for AI agents and broader ecosystem integrations.

However, Poke’s presence on Messages for Business is somewhat different from those rumours. Rather than launching as a standalone mobile application distributed through the App Store, Poke is utilising Apple’s business messaging framework, which allows consumers to communicate directly with companies through the Messages app. Traditionally, the platform has been used for customer support, appointment scheduling, product inquiries, and related services. With Poke, users can submit questions or requests and receive AI-generated responses through the same messaging interface.

For startup founders and investors, one of the more compelling aspects of the launch is the business model it enables. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company of California, the Palo Alto-based company behind Poke, explained that the startup will pay its messaging infrastructure provider on a per-user basis to support its Messages for Business integration.

While von Hagen declined to disclose exact pricing details, he indicated that the cost structure is considerably lower than Meta AI’s messaging costs, which Meta adjusted following European regulations requiring support for third-party AI agents on WhatsApp.

“I think Apple is just noticing this is the best way to offer AI,” von Hagen said, adding that he expects Apple’s involvement with AI agents to expand over time.

Securing approval from Apple required extensive compliance work. The company had to demonstrate that it could provide live human assistance when necessary and clearly disclose to users that they were interacting with an AI-powered agent. Poke also supplied references from its messaging service providers and modified portions of its user experience to align with Apple’s platform requirements.

Among those adjustments, Poke on Messages for Business now displays link previews instead of embedding links directly within messages. The platform also follows Apple’s design standards for interface elements, buttons, and other user interaction components.

According to von Hagen, the approval process took several months as the company worked through Apple’s requirements and standards. “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,” he said. As for becoming the first AI agent accepted onto the platform, von Hagen believes trust played a major role. “It was also just important that we were very aligned in terms of the positioning of the company,” he explained. He added that many consumer technology products today prioritise rapid growth and user numbers through questionable tactics, while Poke has focused on trust, quality, and building a reliable brand identity.

At present, it remains unclear whether Apple intends to announce any new AI agent initiatives in Messages for Business at WWDC. Von Hagen noted that he has no direct knowledge of Apple’s plans. In the meantime, Poke has begun distributing invitations to existing users, giving them the option to transition their conversations to the Apple Messages for Business platform. The company will continue to offer subscription plans that include support for Apple Pay as a payment option.

Backed by investors including Spark Capital, General Catalyst, and several angel investors, the 10-person startup recently secured an additional $10 million in funding on top of the $15 million seed round it raised last year. Following the latest investment, Poke is now valued at approximately $300 million on a post-money basis.