Apple has approved Poke to operate on its Messages for Business platform, making the startup the first AI agent cleared for that channel. The move gives Poke access to Apple’s Messages app in a verified business format, expanding where users can interact with the service.
Poke is a startup built around the idea that working with AI agents should feel as simple as sending a text. Launched in March, it is aimed at people who want to use AI without command-line tools or more technical agent systems. The company says its service can handle tasks such as planning the day, organizing calendars, tracking health and fitness, controlling smart-home devices, and editing photos through text-based conversation.
According to the company, Poke has already processed about 100 million messages. It currently works over SMS, Telegram, and, in some markets, WhatsApp. Apple’s approval adds another distribution channel, while keeping the interaction inside the Messages app interface.
The approval is notable because Messages for Business was previously used by companies such as airlines, retailers, and hotel chains to talk with their own customers. The platform supports both automated chat and human support, but it was not previously open to standalone third-party AI agents. Poke’s arrival suggests Apple is willing to extend that system beyond conventional customer service use cases.
The timing is also drawing attention. Apple is expected to hold its Worldwide Developers Conference next week, where it may introduce new AI-related tools, including an updated Siri and developer services tied to Apple Intelligence. There has also been speculation that Apple could open its App Store to AI agents, though Poke’s approval is separate from that possibility.
Poke is not launching a consumer app inside the App Store through this arrangement. Instead, Messages for Business gives users a way to communicate with a business through Apple’s own messaging interface. In Poke’s case, that means users can ask a question or make a request and receive a text response from the AI agent.
To get approved, Poke had to show Apple that it could provide live support when needed and that the AI would be clearly identified as such. The startup also submitted supporting documentation from its messaging providers and adjusted its interface to fit Apple’s design rules. That includes showing link previews rather than inline links and using Apple’s styling for buttons and other interface elements.
Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company of California, the Palo Alto startup behind Poke, said the approval process took a couple of months and could take similar time for others seeking access. He said the company believed Apple was looking for a provider that emphasized trust and quality rather than aggressive growth tactics.
Von Hagen also said Poke will pay its messaging service provider on a per-user basis. He compared that pricing favorably with Meta AI, which increased fees after EU rules required Meta to allow third-party AI agents on WhatsApp.
Poke is currently rolling out invitations to existing users who want to move to Apple Messages for Business. The company said it will continue offering subscriptions and will include an Apple Pay option.
The startup is backed by Spark Capital, General Catalyst, and other investors. It recently added $10 million on top of a $15 million seed round from last year and is now valued at $300 million post-money.
Apple did not immediately comment on the approval.