EU orders Meta to restore rival AI on WhatsApp

The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore access for rival AI chatbots to the WhatsApp Business API within five working days and to keep that access in place while an antitrust investigation continues. The Commission said failing to comply could trigger fines of up to 10% of Meta’s worldwide turnover.

The interim measures require Meta to reinstate third-party general-purpose AI assistants on the same terms that existed before the company restricted AI integrations to its own Meta AI. The Commission opened the formal probe in December 2025 and says the order will remain in force for the duration of the investigation.

The case follows changes Meta made to WhatsApp last year. Existing external AI providers were cut off in October 2025 and on January 15, 2026 Meta changed its policy to allow only Meta AI on WhatsApp. The Commission is investigating whether those changes amount to an abuse of a dominant position in European messaging markets.

Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president, said the measures aim to preserve users’ ability to choose which AI assistant they use with WhatsApp. “In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted,” she said.

Meta called the decision “regulatory overreach” and vowed to appeal. The company argued the order effectively allows some large AI firms to use the paid WhatsApp Business product for free and said it will challenge the Commission’s decision in court.

The dispute reflects competing commercial priorities. AI firms seek distribution on messaging services with large user bases, while messaging platforms seek ways to monetise access and to control which integrations are offered to users. The Commission’s measures require access to remain open to rival assistants while the legal review proceeds.

A May study by the IMDEA Networks Institute found several major AI assistants share user data with third-party trackers, including names such as ChatGPT, Claude, Grok and Perplexity, even when users opt out. The report flagged Grok for default public guest conversations and said a TikTok-linked tracker received webcam image metadata in some cases.

The formal investigation is ongoing and the interim order will stay in force while it proceeds. Meta has five working days to comply with the Commission’s reinstatement requirement as it prepares its legal challenge.