EU orders Meta to reopen WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots free

The Commission said Meta indispensable reinstate the presumption and conditions that were successful spot earlier Oct. 15, 2025, erstwhile the institution banned third-party general-purpose AI assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API portion keeping its ain Meta AI work available. Meta indispensable comply wrong 5 moving days, and the interim measurement volition stay successful effect until the Commission concludes its antitrust probe oregon until June 2029, whichever comes first.

Three companies — including The Interaction Company of California, the developer down the Poke.com AI assistant, French AI startup Agentik, and an unnamed Spanish rival — filed complaints that led the Commission to motorboat its antitrust probe successful Dec. 2025, according to Reuters. After issuing its archetypal charges successful Feb. 2026, the Commission followed up with a 2nd circular of charges successful April, prompted by Meta's determination to complaint rivals for API entree alternatively than reconstruct the archetypal terms. Regulators said the interest was successful signifier equivalent to the erstwhile ban.

At a property conference, E.U. Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera offered a pointed appraisal of Meta's conduct. "It seems that Meta expects to leverage the immense scope and apt dominance of WhatsApp to payment its ain AI adjunct and to foreclose rivals," she said. She added: "AI markets are processing exceptionally accelerated and AI systems are expected to go an important mode for consumers each crossed Europe to entree and usage AI."

In a connection responding to the order, Meta accused regulators of going excessively far. "The E.U. Commission has decided that OpenAI and immoderate of the largest companies successful the satellite tin usage the paid-for WhatsApp Business merchandise for free," the institution said. "This is regulatory overreach subsidized by the galore European companies that pay."

Regulators concluded connected a preliminary ground that Meta has occupied a ascendant presumption successful the user communications marketplace crossed the European Economic Area since nary aboriginal than January 2023, and that its exclusion of rival AI assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API amounted to withdrawing entree to infrastructure that had antecedently been disposable to extracurricular parties.

The Commission noted this is lone the 2nd clip it has imposed interim measures nether the applicable regulation, pursuing a akin enactment against Broadcom successful 2009. Non-compliance would exposure Meta to penalties reaching 10% of its full yearly turnover, and the Commission retains authorization to levy regular fines of up to 5% of mean regular turnover to unit adherence.