Apple approves Poke, first AI agent on Messages for Business

Apple has approved Poke as the first AI agent on its Messages for Business platform, a move that gives one of the newest consumer-facing AI tools access to a channel Apple has long reserved for airlines, retailers and hotel chains. The decision matters because Messages for Business is not just another app listing; it is a gatekeeping layer inside the Messages app, where Apple says users can ask questions, schedule appointments, resolve issues and make purchases.

Apple’s own support material frames the service as a business-to-customer conduit that is usually handled by a live agent, with automated responses used for simple requests when needed. Apple also says messages sent to the business are encrypted, and that companies do not receive a user’s phone number or email by default. Instead, Apple uses an opaque ID. For an AI agent, those rules are more than technical details. They are the standards Apple is setting for how automation can enter customer service without collapsing the company’s privacy model.

Poke is built by The Interaction Company of California, founded by Marvin von Hagen and Felix Schlegel. The startup launched publicly in March 2026 and had already relayed about 100 million messages by June 4, 2026, according to TechCrunch. The company earlier said it had handled more than 750,000 messages from its first few thousand beta users and had been used by 6,000 beta testers at companies including OpenAI, Google and Anthropic. Poke already runs over SMS, Telegram and, in some markets, WhatsApp. Apple approval will add iMessage support, extending the service into the most tightly controlled messaging ecosystem in consumer tech.

Von Hagen said Poke will pay Apple on a per-user basis, but he did not disclose pricing. That arrangement underscores how Apple can shape the economics of agentic AI as much as the user experience: access is not only approved, it is monetized. For Apple, the approval suggests the company is willing to treat some AI services less like consumer apps and more like business messaging endpoints, a distinction that could define who gets distribution on the phone.

The timing is also notable. Apple is expected to hold its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 9, 2026, where it is likely to discuss AI updates, including an AI-optimized Siri and other developer tools. Apple introduced Apple Intelligence at WWDC in June 2024 and expanded developer access to its on-device foundation model in June 2025. Poke’s placement inside Messages for Business shows that Apple’s AI strategy is not only about its own assistants, but also about which outside agents it is willing to let inside the system.