The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore free access to WhatsApp for rival AI assistants while it continues an antitrust investigation into the company’s conduct.
The interim order requires Meta to give competing AI providers access to the WhatsApp Business API under the same terms that existed before Meta changed its policy in October 2025. Meta must comply within five working days.
The case centers on Meta’s October 2025 update to its WhatsApp Business Solution Terms.
The change prevented third-party general-purpose AI assistants from using the WhatsApp Business API. The policy took effect in January 2026, leaving Meta AI as the only assistant with access to the platform through that route.
The WhatsApp Business API allows companies to connect their systems to WhatsApp and communicate with users. Regulators are now examining whether Meta used WhatsApp’s reach to give its own AI assistant an unfair advantage.
Complaints came from AI developers, including The Interaction Company, French startup Agentik, and a Spanish rival. Those complaints pushed the European Commission to open a formal investigation in December 2025.
The policy change affected rival AI providers that had been operating on WhatsApp.
OpenAI told users in October 2025 to move to the ChatGPT app, saying more than 50 million people had used ChatGPT on WhatsApp. Microsoft later said Copilot on WhatsApp would also shut down because of Meta’s policy change.
Meta later allowed rival AI assistants back on WhatsApp in March 2026, but only for a fee. The European Commission said those fees were too high and effectively kept access blocked for competitors.
The Commission issued formal objections in February 2026, saying its preliminary view was that Meta may have breached EU antitrust rules. It issued additional objections in April after Meta introduced the access fee.
The latest decision imposes interim measures, a rare tool used before a final ruling when regulators believe competition could suffer serious and hard-to-repair damage.
EU competition chief Teresa Ribera said AI markets are developing quickly and that competition could be lost before a final decision is reached. The order will remain in place while the investigation continues, or until June 2029 at the latest.
Meta must restore access for rival AI assistants to the WhatsApp Business API free of charge and under the earlier terms.
The order does not mean the Commission has reached a final decision on whether Meta broke EU competition law. That investigation is still ongoing.
If the Commission eventually finds Meta in breach of EU antitrust rules, the company could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual revenue.
Meta rejected the decision and said it will appeal.
A company spokesperson said the Commission is forcing Meta to let OpenAI and other large companies use a paid WhatsApp Business product for free. Meta called the order regulatory overreach and said European businesses that pay for the service would effectively subsidize large AI companies.
The order does not directly change normal WhatsApp messaging for users.
The case is about which AI assistants can operate through WhatsApp’s business platform. If rival AI providers return, users in Europe could again see more AI assistant options on WhatsApp.
The outcome could also affect how European regulators handle AI distribution on major digital platforms in the future.