The European Commission has ordered Meta to open WhatsApp to rival AI chatbots – an interim move that has prompted the tech giant to accuse Brussels of “regulatory overreach” and promise an appeal.
The decision, announced on Thursday, forces Meta to allow third-party general-purpose AI assistants to use the WhatsApp for Business API free of charge while the EU conducts an antitrust investigation into the company’s conduct. The Commission said the intervention was needed to prevent “serious and irreparable harm to competition in this growing market by Meta’s conduct”, which it said appeared to infringe EU competition rules.
“EU orders Meta to let rival AI chatbots into WhatsApp for free; Meta calls it regulatory overreach and will appeal.”
The investigation began in December 2025 after Meta banned third-party AI assistants from the WhatsApp for Business API – a move the EU said looked like an abuse of Meta’s dominant position in European markets. As an interim measure, the Commission has given Meta five working days to restore access under the same terms and conditions that existed before the ban.
“In rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted,” said Teresa Ribera, the Commission’s executive vice-president for clean, just and competitive transition. “This is why these interim measures will remain in place for the duration of the investigation.” She 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.”
If Meta fails to comply, it could be fined up to 10% of its total turnover.
But Meta reacted furiously. “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,” it said in a statement. “This is regulatory overreach subsidised by the many European companies that pay. We will appeal.”
The clash is the latest in a long-running dispute between European regulators and US big tech firms. Last year, Meta warned of a “worse experience” for European users because of EU regulations, after being hit with a fine. The row has also turned political: the Trump administration has claimed the EU and other jurisdictions are unfairly targeting American tech companies.
The interim measures will remain in place until the Commission concludes its full investigation – leaving WhatsApp users across Europe waiting to see which AI chatbots appear on their messaging app, and Meta facing the prospect of either complying or fighting a legal battle that could reshape the balance of power in the AI market.