EU orders Meta to open WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots, says users should be free to choose which AI assistant they use
The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore free access to WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots, such as OpenAI, while it investigates whether the company had unfairly blocked competitors. The decision could help preserve users’ ability to choose between different AI assistants instead of being limited to Meta’s AI.
The WhatsApp logo on a smartphone screen with a EU flag. Samuel Boivin/NurPhoto via Getty.
The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore free access to WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots, such as OpenAI, while it investigates whether the company had unfairly blocked competitors. The decision could help preserve users’ ability to choose between different AI assistants instead of being limited to Meta’s AI.
- The EU has ordered Meta to allow rival AI chatbots back on WhatsApp while an antitrust investigation continues.
- Regulators are examining whether Meta used policy changes to give Meta AI an unfair advantage.
- Meta must restore access under the same conditions that existed before October 2025.
- Meta plans to appeal the decision and could face fines of up to 10% of its global annual revenue if found guilty.
Key Takeaways by nexos.ai, reviewed by Cybernews staff.
In December 2025, the EU executive branch launched a formal investigation into Meta for potential infringement of EU competition rules.
Just a few months earlier, Meta announced a change to its policy and terms for WhatsApp, prohibiting third parties from communicating with customers via WhatsApp. With one exception: businesses were still allowed to use AI tools for automated customer support.
As a result of the policy change, Meta AI would be the only remaining AI chatbot accessible to WhatsApp users. These practices of eliminating the competition could be considered anticompetitive behavior.
The European Commission’s antitrust investigation is still ongoing. In the meantime, the Commission has issued a so-called interim measure, ordering Meta to restore access to WhatsApp for competing AI assistants while the investigation continues.
Meta must retain access under the same terms and conditions that were in place before the October 2025 policy change.
“These interim measures will safeguard competition in the growing market for AI assistants by preserving a key entry point to reach consumers in Europe and allowing AI companies to innovate, scale up, and reach their full potential. With today’s decision, we also preserve choice for citizens across Europe on the AI assistants they want to use with WhatsApp, without that decision being made for them,” Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, said in a statement.
Meta disagrees with the European Commission’s interim measure decision and intends to appeal.
“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 subsidized by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal,” a company spokesperson told Reuters in an email.
If found guilty, Meta faces a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover.
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