Meta Must Restore Free WhatsApp Access for Competing AI Assistants
The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore free access to WhatsApp for rival general-purpose AI assistants while its antitrust investigation continues. The interim measures require Meta to reinstate access to the WhatsApp for Business API under the same terms that applied before 15 October 2025, when third-party AI assistants could use the interface free of charge.
The case concerns Meta’s policy change of 15 October 2025, which blocked general-purpose AI assistants other than Meta AI from using the WhatsApp for Business API. The Commission takes the preliminary view that WhatsApp has held a dominant position in the EEA-wide market for consumer communication applications since at least January 2023. It also considers, at first sight, that Meta may have abused that position by cutting off access to infrastructure that had previously been available to third parties.
Meta later revised its policy on 4 March 2026 and again allowed third-party AI assistants on WhatsApp. However, the Commission found that the newly imposed fee may, in practice, have the same effect as the earlier ban. In the Commission’s preliminary assessment, this risked excluding competitors from an important distribution channel at a sensitive stage in the development of the general-purpose AI assistant market.
The decision is based on Article 102 TFEU, Article 54 of the EEA Agreement, and Article 8 of Regulation 1/2003. Interim measures may be imposed where there is an apparent infringement and an urgent need to prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition. The Commission concluded that both conditions were met, given the fast-moving nature of AI assistant markets and the role of WhatsApp as a major consumer communication platform.
Meta must comply within five working days and maintain the restored access until the Commission adopts a final decision. The investigation on the merits remains open, and the interim order does not prejudge the final outcome. If Meta fails to comply, the Commission may impose fines of up to 10% of Meta’s total turnover in the preceding business year, as well as daily penalty payments of up to 5% of average daily turnover.
