Conversation design
How the conversation should feel
Say it's automated
Every new conversation opens with a named assistant that says it is automated.
Reply in seconds
The welcome arrives within five seconds, after a typing indicator.
Triage with taps
A Quick Reply with your top four reasons plus Something else, unless the entry point already says why.
Hand off transparently
Announce the transfer, share the wait, and have the agent introduce themselves.
Never repeat, never close
Don't ask for what's already in the thread, and never say the conversation is closed.
End with an offer
Each resolved request ends with a chance to ask something else.
Apple's source is its conversation design standards. Every requirement, mapped to an implementation, is in our Experience Review checklist.
Rich content
Use the right feature for the job
| Rule | In practice |
|---|---|
| Links are Rich Links | Every URL, including your Privacy Policy and Terms, goes out as a card, never as bare text. |
| Two to five options means Quick Reply | Use a List Picker only for longer lists or rows that need images. |
| Text before interactives | Send a short intro bubble before every picker, form, or link. |
| Words, not 1 to 5 | Satisfaction questions use labelled choices; long surveys use a Form. |
| Pay and sign in natively | Use Apple Pay and authentication instead of asking for card numbers or passwords. |
| Locations as Maps links | Send an Apple Maps link instead of a typed address. |
Naming and privacy
Naming, privacy, and SMS habits
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Say Apple Messages for Business or Apple Messages | Say iMessage, Apple Chat, or Messages for Business |
| Ask a yes/no question before requesting personal details | Ask for name and email in the welcome |
| Send policies once, on first contact or after an update | Paste policy text into the thread |
| Offer an unsubscribe keyword path | Use “reply STOP” or “message and data rates may apply” |
Policies
Who can use Apple Messages for Business
You must own the brand, keep a live agent available during business hours, and let customers start the conversation. Apple doesn't onboard businesses built around restricted categories such as tobacco and vaping, weapons, gambling, adult content, or political organizations, and isn't currently onboarding businesses that mainly offer medical or health services. The definitive list is Apple's policies page.
Managed launch
Blooio's bots follow these rules out of the box.
You don't have to memorise any of this. Blooio's managed Apple Messages for Business bot ships with disclosure, triage, Rich Links, privacy gates, keyword handling, and a human in the loop, and we check it for drift after launch.
Go deeper
The full developer guides
Every rule, diagram, and API call, with a Copy for AI button that hands the whole guide to your coding assistant.
docs.blooio.com
Pass the Experience Review
The full checklist, the review loop, a passing conversation in code, the screen recording, and experience drift.
docs.blooio.com
Launch Apple Messages for Business
The ten-step roadmap from Apple Business Register to go-live, entry point URLs, brand assets, and tester troubleshooting.
More Apple Messages for Business guides
Experience Review
What Apple tests before you go live, and how to pass the first time.
Messaging Service Provider
What an MSP does, and why Blooio is the one that also builds your bot.
Apple Business Register setup
Account, testers, MSP connection, and launch, in order.
Message button and entry points
Where customers tap Message: Maps, Search, your site, and your app.
Apple Business Chat
The old name, what changed, and what it means for your brand.
Apple Messages for Business API
List pickers, quick replies, forms, and Apple Pay through Blooio's API.
Questions
Apple's own rules live in the Apple Messages for Business documentation. These are the questions brands ask us most.
- Brand verification
- Sandbox testing
- Experience Review
Empower your team. Achieve more.
Apple Messages for Business launches after brand verification, testing, and Apple's Experience Review. Talk to us and we'll scope the journey.