Move over, Siri—there's a new sheriff in the iMessage town, and it's called Poke.
The startup has become the first standalone AI agent approved to run on Apple's Messages for Business platform. You can now summon an AI helper directly through iMessage, no app download required.
Poke, which launched three months ago, is already handling serious traffic—100 million messages relayed to date. The startup's founders have built something straightforward: making AI agents feel natural to use via text. Want to plan your day? Schedule a meeting? Track your fitness? Snap a photo and edit it? Poke does it all through text.
Until now, Apple's Messages for Business was reserved for businesses themselves—airlines, hotels, retailers—to chat with their customers. Poke's approval marks a shift: Apple has opened Messages for Business to third-party AI agents for the first time.
The timing aligns with Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, where the company plans to unveil an AI-powered Siri overhaul and expand its App Store to include AI agents. Whether Poke becomes part of that rollout remains to be seen.
Poke's business model relies on a per-user fee paid to Apple—reportedly cheaper than what Meta AI charges after the EU forced it to open WhatsApp to third-party competitors. At scale, this could mean significant revenue for Apple.
The response has been strong. Poke's team announced the news on X, and early adopters report the experience feels seamless.
