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Apple Messages for Business

Customer-started conversations in the Messages app on Apple devices.

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Apple Messages for Business lets people with Apple devices message a business from the Messages app, starting from a button on your site or app, a search result or a map listing. Businesses use it for support, bookings and payments, with rich features such as list pickers, time pickers and secure payment. The customer always starts the conversation, and the business receives an anonymous identifier rather than the person's phone number. Since iOS 17.4, customers can also opt in to business updates such as order status, flight notifications and fraud alerts.

Start with the 101Apple Messages for Business 101: the whole pictureHistory, how it works, where it is used, what it costs, the rules, its limits, and when to choose it, with every claim sourced.Read the 101

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What matters when choosing

  • A provider approved to connect businesses to the service, with registration support.
  • The rich features in your inbox: list and time pickers, forms and payments.
  • Entry points you can place on your website, app and other channels.
  • The same agents and history as your other chat channels.

Questions to ask providers

  1. Which rich features do you support today, and which require extra development?
  2. How do you link an anonymous Apple conversation to a known customer when they sign in?
  3. Who handles registration, and what happens to our account if we switch provider?

Common mistakes

  • Planning outbound campaigns on a channel where the customer must start the conversation.
  • Offering it without people to answer, so customers wait in the app they trust most.

What it is good at

  • Support started from your site, app or a search.
  • Built-in pickers and payments.
  • Privacy by design: no phone number shared.

What to watch for

  • Only available to people on Apple devices.
  • No business-started conversations for campaigns.
  • Access through an approved provider and a registration step.

How it is priced

Apple provides the service free of charge, and there is no Apple rate card. A business must connect through an approved messaging service provider, which charges for its platform, usually per agent seat, per conversation or per month. Apple's service terms reserve the right to charge fees in the future, and forbid charging your own customers for access to the channel.

Sources Apple Business Register ↗Apple Business Register ↗Apple Support ↗

Typical channels: Apple Messages for Business Web chat & booking page WhatsApp SMS

Listings that fit (8)

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  • ZendeskCarries: Apple Messages for Business
    Strong match100
  • Genesys CloudCarries: Apple Messages for Business
    Strong match100
  • ClickatellCarries: Apple Messages for Business
    Strong match100
  • CM.comCarries: Apple Messages for Business
    Strong match100
  • Freshworks (Freshchat / Freshdesk Omni)Carries: Apple Messages for Business
    Strong match100
  • NiCE CXone MpowerCarries: Apple Messages for Business
    Strong match100