en.Wedoany.com Reported - The European Commission (EC) has ordered Meta to restore free access for third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp within five working days. This marks the first time in nearly 17 years that the EU has used interim antitrust measures.
Under this interim measure, Meta must allow competing AI service providers to access its platform free of charge during the investigation. The European Commission launched an investigation into Meta in December 2024 to determine whether its restrictions violated EU competition rules. EU Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera noted that the interim measure aims to prevent disruption to market competition before the formal investigation concludes. Ribera stated that the order to restore access for competing AI services on WhatsApp is necessary while reviewing whether Meta's restrictions violate competition law.
The restrictions took effect on January 15, 2026, allowing only Meta's own AI to be used in WhatsApp Business. Meta announced a policy change in October 2025, effectively preventing competing general-purpose AI services from entering the platform. Subsequently, the company attempted to resolve the investigation by charging competitors access fees, but regulators warned they might force the restoration of free access. The order aims to safeguard European citizens' right to freely choose AI assistants on WhatsApp.
The order requires Meta to restore access to the WhatsApp Business API under conditions consistent with those before October 2025, allowing any developer to offer their own AI chatbot for free. This means WhatsApp will open up to alternative services such as OpenAI's ChatGPT, Google's Gemini, Anthropic's Claude, and other general-purpose AIs.
If Meta fails to comply with the interim measure, it faces fines of up to 10% of its global annual turnover. The company has stated it will appeal to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, arguing that the order constitutes regulatory overreach and claiming it has technical reasons for implementing the restrictions.
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