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

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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 Apple s Messages app, 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 Apple Messages for Business (meaning as a verified business account) 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 Poke (@interaction) June 4, 2026 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 the Message s app 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. Image Credits: Poke/The Interaction Company of California 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 its messaging service provider, that it worked with to enable Messages for Business, 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 WhatsApp. Image Credits: Poke/The Interaction Company of California I think Apple is just noticing this is the best way to offer AI, he said, adding that he believes Apple’s support for AI agents will grow over time as well. Getting Apple s approval required the company to verify that it could offer live support, if needed, and that its AI agent was clearly identified as such. Poke also submitted testimonies from its messaging providers and customized its user interface to meet Apple s guidelines. For instance, Poke on Apple Messages for Business has to show link previews instead of inline links, as before, and it uses Apple s style guide for things like buttons and interface elements. Image Credits: 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 said. As for being the first? That had a lot to do with trust. It was also just important that we were very aligned in terms of the positioning of the company, he noted, explaining that many consumer products today are about getting to numbers through questionable tactics. We care about quality, we care to have a brand that signals trust, von Hagen said. It s not clear if Apple will announce any news related to AI agents on its Message for Business platform at WWDC next week, and von Hagen isn t clued into Apple s plans. However, Poke is currently rolling out invites to existing users that will allow them to optionally move over to the Apple Messages for Business platform if they prefer. Poke will continue to offer subscriptions, which will include an option to use Apple Pay. Backed by Spark Capital, General Catalyst, and other angels, the 10-person startup recently added another $10 million to its coffers , on top of last year’s $15 million seed round. It’s now valued at $300 million, post-money. Apple was not immediately available for comment. Correction: This story has been updated after co-founder Marvin von Hagen clarified that Poke pays its messaging service provider on a per-user basis, not Apple directly. Topics AI , ai agent , Apple , Apps , Poke When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission . This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Sarah Perez Consumer News Editor Sarah has worked as a reporter for TechCrunch since August 2011. She joined the company after having previously spent over three years at ReadWriteWeb. Prior to her work as a reporter, Sarah worked in I.T. across a number of industries, including banking, retail and software. You can contact or verify outreach from Sarah by emailing sarahp@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at sarahperez.01 on Signal. View Bio June 18 Los Angeles Get an inside look at what it takes to scale and succeed from leaders at Mach Industries, Founders Fund, and Shinkei Systems. Through candid fireside chats and high-impact networking, you ll walk away with valuable insights and new connections. 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