EU pressures WhatsApp access

European Union regulators are moving to force Meta to reopen WhatsApp to rival AI assistants in Europe while an antitrust case is still underway. (ec.europa.eu) The European Commission said on February 9, 2026 that Meta’s October 15, 2025 update to WhatsApp Business terms appears to have shut out third-party general-purpose AI assistants from WhatsApp in the European Economic Area. The Commission said Meta AI became the only AI assistant left on WhatsApp after January 15, 2026. (ec.europa.eu) The case started on December 4, 2025 under Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the bloc’s main abuse-of-dominance rule. Brussels said WhatsApp is likely an important route for AI assistants to reach users, and that blocking access could raise barriers for smaller rivals. (ec.europa.eu 1) (ec.europa.eu 2) WhatsApp Business is the system companies use to message customers inside WhatsApp. The Commission said Meta’s policy still allowed AI for support tasks like customer service, but barred companies whose main product is an AI assistant from using that channel. (ec.europa.eu) Brussels is using interim measures, a rare emergency tool, because it said the risk to competition is immediate and could become irreversible before the full case ends. The Commission said Meta’s conduct could “irreparably” marginalize smaller AI providers if the restrictions stay in place. (ec.europa.eu) After the probe began, Meta tried a different fix by charging rivals a fee to use WhatsApp, according to Reuters on April 15, 2026. The Commission said that paid access appeared to have the same exclusionary effect and told Meta it wants third-party assistants restored on the pre-October 2025 terms. (reuters.com) (politico.eu) Meta said the Commission was trying to let some of the world’s biggest companies use a paid WhatsApp Business product for free, Reuters reported. The company pointed to OpenAI as an example of a rival already using Meta’s services in other contexts. (reuters.com) Italy has already acted on the same issue. The Italian Competition Authority said in December 2025 that it imposed interim measures ordering Meta to suspend contractual terms that excluded competing AI chatbot providers from WhatsApp access. (agcm.it) The European Commission said its February filing covered the European Economic Area except Italy because Rome had already stepped in, and Reuters reported on April 15 that the European investigation has since been expanded to include Italy as well. Meta can still answer the Commission’s objections before any interim order is finalized. (ec.europa.eu) (reuters.com)