Apple Messages for Business Entry Points: How Customers Start a Chat
Entry points are how customers open a Messages for Business chat — Safari, Maps, Spotlight, Siri, QR, apps, and email. Apple’s official list plus how to launch them.
Apple Messages for Business is customer-initiated: people start the conversation by tapping a message button. Those buttons are entry points. Apple’s FAQ lists where customers can start conversations, and Launching Messages for Business is the official onboarding page for going live. Where you place those buttons determines how much volume the channel drives.
Website and Safari
The most common entry point is your own website. A message button on contact, support, product, or checkout pages lets Apple-device visitors open Messages instantly. Apple’s FAQ includes websites and Safari among the places customers start a chat. Placement matters — a button on the returns page or at checkout captures intent at the exact moment a customer needs help. The REST API common specs cover intentID and groupID so the MSP can route that tap.
Apple Maps
When your business is verified in Apple Business Connect, a message button can appear on your Maps place card. This is powerful for brands with physical locations: someone looking up your store or branch can message before they visit or call.
Spotlight and Siri
Search your brand name in Spotlight, or ask Siri, and a message option can surface directly in the results. These system-level entry points put your brand one tap from a conversation without the customer ever opening a browser.
QR Codes and NFC
QR codes bridge the physical and digital. Print one on packaging, receipts, in-store signage, or mailers, and a scan opens Messages pre-addressed to your brand. It is a natural fit for retail, hospitality, and events.
Apps and Email
You can embed entry points inside your own iOS app and in emails, handing off from a channel the customer already uses into a live conversation. This keeps context and reduces the friction of switching channels.
Where teams usually put entry points first
Illustrative priority for retail and travel brands — not measured traffic.
An unused entry point is invisible. Start where the customer already asks for help — then expand.
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Designing Your Entry-Point Strategy
The best deployments place entry points where intent is highest, not everywhere at once. Look at how live brands surface Messages, and make sure your MSP supports the entry points you need. For the fundamentals, see what Apple Messages for Business is.
Official Apple Pages
Apple’s list of where customers start conversations and how to launch: FAQ, Launching Messages for Business, MSP onboarding, and documentation.