EU Orders Meta to Restore Free WhatsApp Access for Rival AI Chatbots

European regulators have stepped in to keep the market for AI assistants open at a critical moment, ordering Meta to let competing chatbots reach users on WhatsApp without charge while an antitrust case proceeds. The move addresses the risk that Meta’s control of a dominant messaging platform could lock out rivals before any final ruling arrives. WhatsApp’s reach in Europe makes it a primary channel for companies to deliver notifications and services through automated assistants.

The European Commission opened its formal investigation in December 2025 after Meta changed its WhatsApp for Business API rules in October 2025 to bar third-party AI chatbots, leaving only its own Meta AI in place. In March 2026 Meta allowed limited access again but required payment. The Commission rejected the paid terms as insufficient and, on June 10 2026, issued a rare interim order requiring Meta to reinstate the pre-October 2025 conditions of free access. The order must remain in effect until the investigation concludes. Meta has until June 15 to comply.

Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera stated that rapid market evolution means competition can disappear before a final decision, and the measures are needed to avoid damage that would be almost impossible to repair. She noted that the steps preserve WhatsApp as an entry point for AI companies to reach European consumers. Meta called the order regulatory overreach that would let some of the world’s largest companies use its paid Business API without paying and said it will appeal. If Meta fails to comply it faces potential fines of up to 10 percent of global annual revenue.

The Commission has used such interim powers only once before in more than twenty years. The underlying investigation continues without a set completion date, leaving open the question of whether Meta’s platform dominance will ultimately be found to have unlawfully restricted competition in the emerging AI-assistant sector.