Apple’s Messages app on iPhone now has a third-party AI agent

Apple has approved Poke, a third-party AI agent, for use in the iPhone's Messages app, marking the first time an AI service can operate directly within iMessage. The service, which uses Apple's Messages for Business platform, allows users to chat with the AI and have it perform actions on their behalf. Early reports indicate the service is experiencing issues, possibly due to high demand.

Third-party AI service Poke https://poke.com/ was just approved for use in Apple’s Messages app on iPhone, bringing an AI agent directly into iMessage for the first time. Here are the details. Poke is now available in Apple’s Messages app via Business workaround Years ago, Apple launched Messages for Business https://www.apple.com/ios/business-chat/ as a way for iPhone users to contact businesses inside the native iMessage interface. Now, that technology appears to have enabled the first third-party AI agent inside Messages. Poke https://poke.com/ has been approved by Apple, letting you chat with the service in the iPhone’s Messages app and have it take action on your requests. Here’s a glimpse at what it looks like, via Poke’s announcement post https://x.com/interaction/status/2062575428213285352?s=61&t=a-bloX1n-TZ50ofqhetO1A : You can message Poke on your iPhone following the instructions on Poke’s website https://poke.com/ . And a variety of examples of what Poke can do, including third-party integrations, can be found here https://poke.com/recipes . Currently, the service appears to be experiencing issues. I sent a message a few minutes ago and have yet to receive a reply, and saw similar reports on social media. Hopefully that’s just a sign of overwhelming demand, rather than evidence that Apple has already revoked its initial approval. Have you tried using Poke in the Messages app? How’s it working for you? Let us know in the comments. Best iPhone accessories AirPods Pro 3 https://amzn.to/3Peq3Ge now only $199 , down from $249 MagSafe Car Mount for iPhone https://amzn.to/4tSJYde 10-year AirTag battery case https://amzn.to/4e6O6R2 AirTag 2 https://amzn.to/48BACtL 1-pack https://amzn.to/48BACtL / 4-pack https://amzn.to/3OFX4Lv 100W USB-C fast charging power adapter https://amzn.to/48EbPVU FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More. https://9to5mac.com/about/ affiliate our homepage http://9to5mac.com/ for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on exclusive stories https://9to5mac.com/feature/exclusive/ , reviews https://9to5mac.com/guides/review/ , how-tos https://9to5mac.com/guides/how-to/ , and subscribe to our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/9to5mac