Poke has become the first AI agent approved to run on Apple’s Messages for Business platform. Previously, the platform was designed for businesses such as airlines, retailers, and hotel chains to communicate with their own customers through iMessage. It offered a standardized interface supporting both automated chat and live agents. Until now, the platform had not been open to stand-alone third-party AI agents.
Launched in March, Poke is one of the first AI agents designed for everyday users who lack technical skill or inclination for command-line tools or complex agentic systems like OpenClaw. Today, Poke can help with daily planning, calendar management, health and fitness tracking, smart home control, and photo editing, all via text message. The company tells TechCrunch it has relayed some 100 million messages to date. The AI service operates over SMS, Telegram, and in some markets, WhatsApp. Poke will now be able to add iMessage to its supported platforms.
Approval Comes Days Before Apple’s WWDC With Expected AI Announcements
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. Apple is expected to introduce an AI-optimized version of Siri along with other AI tools and services for app developers. There are also rumors that Apple would open its App Store to AI agents. That is not quite the case with Poke. Apple’s Messages for Business platform is not a consumer-facing mobile app but a way for consumers to interact with a business through iMessage’s interface directly. This allows consumers to reach out to businesses for information, support, and appointment scheduling without calling by phone. Poke’s users ask the AI agent a question or make a request, and it responds via text.
Startup Pays Apple Per User, Creating New Revenue Stream For Apple
For founders and investors, the business model may be the more interesting detail. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company of California, the Palo Alto-based startup behind Poke, says his startup will pay Apple on a per-user basis. He cannot share the exact pricing but notes it is significantly lower than Meta AI after Meta increased fees in response to EU regulation requiring third-party AI agents on WhatsApp. That per-user toll structure, applied at scale, represents a potentially meaningful new revenue stream for Apple but also a new cost of distribution that AI agent startups will need to factor in.
“I think that Apple is just noticing this is the best way to offer AI, and … actually, good for them, because they charge us. They charge us per user on the platform and actually make money with this, especially if it becomes really big,” von Hagen says. He believes Apple’s support for AI agents will grow over time.
Approval Required Live Support Verification And UI Customization
Getting Apple’s approval required the company to verify 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 iMessage must show link previews instead of inline links, and it uses Apple’s style guide for buttons and interface elements.
“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. Being the first 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 focus on numbers through questionable tactics. “We care about quality, we care to have a brand that signals trust.”
Poke Rolling Out Invites To Existing Users With Subscription Options
It is not clear if Apple will announce any news related to AI agents on its Messages for Business platform at WWDC next week, and von Hagen is not clued into Apple’s plans. Poke is currently rolling out invites to existing users that will allow them to optionally move over to the iMessage experience if they prefer. Poke will continue to offer subscriptions, which will include an option to pay via Apple’s system. 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. Poke’s website provides additional details. The company is now valued at $300 million, post-money.
Featured image credits: Freerange Stock
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