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

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 limited to partnered businesses such as airlines, retailers, hotel chains, and others, Apple’s platform offers a standardized interface for business messaging that supports with both automated chat systems and live agents. Until now, it had not been open to 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, editing your photos, and more, 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 iMessage to its supported platforms. 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 has also been rumored that Apple would open its App Store to AI agents. …