AI Agents That Live in Your Texts
Original: Here are the top AI agents that can live in your text messages
Why This Matters
SMS-native AI agents could displace app installs as the primary interface for everyday automation.
TechCrunch rounds up the leading SMS-based AI agents—including Caddy, Comma, and Fambot—that handle scheduling, research, and task management directly via iMessage, RCS, or SMS, no separate app required.
A growing field of AI agents is ditching the app model entirely, operating instead through the messaging platforms users already have. You text them, they act. Instinct leads the pack at a $10 billion valuation after a $1 billion funding round, but several others are carving out specific niches.
Caddy, in public beta since April 2026, runs inside iMessage and Android's RCS. It connects to calendars and conversations to surface actionable items—booking appointments, setting reminders, tracking follow-ups—without a dedicated inbox to manage.
Comma targets both work and personal tasks, running across browsers, computers, and files while staying reachable through Signal, Telegram, and WeChat. It checks its own work, flags when tasks are complete, delivers daily briefings, and summarizes recorded calls. It's free to start and open source.
Fambot pitches itself as a family 'chief of staff,' aggregating school communications, sports schedules, meal planning, and calendars into a daily SMS summary sent every evening covering the next day's events, requirements, and to-dos. It's available on iOS, Android, and the web.