Poke is now available on Apple Messages, giving the text-based AI assistant an official route into iPhone users’ inboxes through Apple’s Messages for Business platform. The company also announced on X that it is the first AI agent approved to text on Apple Messages.
Say hi to the new Poke! 🌴
— Poke (@interaction) June 4, 2026
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’s site now promotes the service as “Poke, now on Apple Messages,” with an option to open the assistant directly in Messages. The startup had already been offering its assistant through SMS, Telegram, and WhatsApp in some markets.
This is a narrow but interesting move from Apple. Messages for Business is usually used by airlines, retailers, banks, hotels, and other companies for customer support, appointment booking, payments, and live-agent help. Poke is using it as an AI assistant interface.
This is not an open iMessage agent store
The approval does not mean Apple has opened iMessage to any AI agent that wants to show up in your inbox. Poke still had to fit into Apple’s Messages for Business rules.
TechCrunch reports that Apple required Poke to prove it could offer live support when needed, clearly identify the assistant as AI, submit testimony from its messaging providers, and adjust the interface to Apple’s guidelines. Poke on iMessage also has to use Apple-style UI elements and link previews.
For users, the pitch is simple: you can text Poke the way you would text a contact, then ask it to handle everyday requests such as planning, calendar help, health and fitness tracking, smart home control, or photo edits. TechCrunch says Poke has relayed about 100 million messages so far.
Apple may have found a paid path for AI agents
The business model may matter as much as the feature. Marvin von Hagen, co-founder of The Interaction Company of California, told TechCrunch that Poke will pay Apple on a per-user basis. He did not share exact pricing.
That gives Apple a controlled way to let AI agents reach iPhone users without turning Messages into a free-for-all. It also creates a new distribution cost for AI startups that want to live inside Apple’s messaging experience.
The timing is hard to ignore. Apple is expected to use WWDC26 on June 8 to talk about its next wave of AI work, including a more capable Siri experience in iOS 27. Poke’s approval is separate from Siri, but it shows Apple may be more open to AI agents when they fit inside a controlled Apple channel.
That fits the broader direction Apple is reportedly exploring with third-party AI models in Apple Intelligence. Apple does not appear to be opening the doors all at once. It is choosing places where outside AI can plug in while Apple still controls the interface.
Poke is backed by Spark Capital, General Catalyst, and angel investors. TechCrunch says the 10-person startup recently added $10 million on top of last year’s $15 million seed round, valuing the company at $300 million post-money.
The safest read is this: Poke has won a first approval inside Messages for Business, but Apple has not yet announced a broader AI agent strategy for Messages or the App Store.
