The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore Meta WhatsApp AI access for rival chatbots, giving the company five working days to reinstate third-party general-purpose AI assistants on the WhatsApp for Business API.
The Commission said the intervention was required to prevent ‘serious and irreparable harm to competition in this growing market’ caused by Meta’s conduct, which it said appeared to infringe EU competition rules.
How the WhatsApp AI dispute reached this point
The Commission opened its investigation in December 2025 after Meta banned third-party general-purpose AI assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API. The regulator said that appeared to be an abuse of Meta’s dominant position in European markets.
According to Dig.Watch, Meta revised its policy in March 2026 to permit third-party AI assistants back onto WhatsApp, but introduced a fee. The Commission said that fee was, at first sight, equivalent in practice to the previous ban, prompting it to proceed with the interim measures now ordered.
As an interim measure for the duration of the investigation, Meta must reinstate access for third-party general-purpose AI assistants under the same terms and conditions that were in place previously.
Meta WhatsApp AI access row turns political
Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition, said the speed of the market made interim action unavoidable.
‘In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted,’ she said. ‘This is why these interim measures will remain in place for the duration of the investigation.’
Ribera added that the decision ‘preserved choice for citizens across Europe on the AI assistants they want to use with WhatsApp, without that decision being made for them.’
Meta reacted sharply, accusing the Commission of regulatory overreach. In a statement, the company said: ‘The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free. This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal.’
The company’s objection centres on the cost: by ordering that access be restored on the original terms, the Commission is, in Meta’s view, compelling it to provide a paid commercial product to major competitors without charge.
Wider tensions between Brussels and US tech firms
The dispute is the latest flashpoint in strained relations between European regulators and US technology companies. Last year, Meta warned of a ‘worse experience’ for European users because of EU regulations, following one of several fines the Commission has imposed on the firm.
The row has drawn in Washington too. The Trump administration has claimed the EU and other jurisdictions are unfairly targeting American technology companies, lending the case a diplomatic dimension that goes beyond competition law.
Meta has said it will appeal against the Commission’s interim order. The investigation itself remains ongoing, with the interim measures on Meta WhatsApp AI access set to remain in force until the Commission reaches a final decision.
