Apple has approved Poke as the first third-party Poke AI agent to connect with the Apple Messages for Business platform, according to a report from AppleInsider published on June 4.
The move is notable because Apple Messages for Business was originally built as a customer-service channel for companies. With this approval, Apple is allowing the platform to support more proactive assistant-style tasks, nudging iMessage from a simple conversation app toward a practical entry point for everyday actions.
Poke is built by The Interaction Company of California, a startup based in the state, and was publicly launched in March 2026. Its pitch is straightforward: users can interact with the assistant directly inside Apple Messages instead of jumping between separate apps.
In the official demonstrations, users can ask Poke to reply to emails, help arrange a dinner, choose the date and time, pick a restaurant and cuisine, and then create reminders along the way. That makes the iMessage AI assistant feel less like a chatbot demo and more like a lightweight coordinator for real-life tasks.
The feature list goes beyond messaging. Poke can perform web searches, generate and edit images, configure automation tasks, check in for domestic flights in the United States, track low-price airfares, generate QR codes, summarize YouTube videos into text, and control Philips Hue lights and Sonos speakers.
Its ecosystem support is also fairly broad. Poke can connect with services and devices including Oura smart rings, Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, GitHub, Strava, and Navan. For users who already live across several productivity, travel, fitness, and smart-home tools, that wide integration list may be the biggest practical draw.
Poke co-founder Marvin von Hagen said Apple will charge users through the platform, meaning Apple could directly benefit from usage of third-party AI agents inside its messaging ecosystem. That detail matters because it suggests Apple is not only approving a one-off assistant, but also testing a possible business model for AI services inside Messages.
Pricing is still flexible. Poke’s FAQ says pricing is determined through negotiation. Lightweight actions, manually prompted requests, and background tasks can be used for free, while heavier requests require payment.
For now, the bigger takeaway is strategic: Apple is opening a controlled path for AI agents inside Messages. If Poke works well, it could give iPhone users a more natural way to handle email, reminders, travel tasks, smart-home control, and app integrations without leaving the conversation thread.
