EU Orders Meta to Reopen WhatsApp to Rival AI

The European Commission has imposed interim measures requiring Meta to give rival general-purpose AI assistants free access to WhatsApp, the Commission said in its decision and multiple news reports confirm (Reuters; European Commission press release). The measure follows complaints that began the Commission's investigation in December 2025, and extra charges after Meta introduced access fees, Reuters reports. The Commission told Meta to restore the prior terms within five working days and said the interim order will remain in place for the duration of the investigation or, at the latest, until June 2029 (BBC; Reuters). The Commission warned that failure to comply could lead to fines of up to 10% of total turnover, Reuters and the BBC report. Meta described the decision as "regulatory overreach" and said "We will appeal," according to Politico and BBC.

The order specifically concerns access to the WhatsApp Business API, which third-party AI assistants had used under previous terms, Reuters and Politico report. According to the Commission, Meta's fees introduced after March made access commercially unsustainable for competitors, prompting the interim measure (Reuters). The complaint set includes The Interaction Company (Poke.com), French startup Agentik and a Spanish rival, Reuters reports. The Commission invoked its emergency power to prevent "serious and irreparable harm to competition" while the antitrust probe continues, per the Commission statement and reporting (European Commission; UPI).

Editorial analysis: This enforcement action is a notable use of EU competition powers in the platform-AI interface. Observers have framed the decision as an effort to preserve an important consumer gateway, WhatsApp, for third-party AI assistants while regulators assess whether platform control and pricing practices foreclose rivals (Reuters; Politico). Companies operating conversational agents often rely on messaging platforms for distribution and user authentication; maintaining access terms affects go-to-market and scaling strategies across Europe.

The Commission's interim measure is rare; Politico reports it is only the second time the Commission has used this emergency power in over two decades. National regulators in Italy and Brazil have pursued similar lines of inquiry: Italy folded its probe into the EU investigation and Brazil compelled Meta to reopen access in March, reporting by Politico and Reuters shows. UPI notes that Meta is also appealing a separate EU fine of $228.34 million under the Digital Markets Act.

Editorial analysis: Practitioners and platform partners should monitor:

• •how quickly Meta complies with the five-working-day restoration window reported by the BBC and Politico
• •whether the Commission's interim terms require technical or product changes to the WhatsApp Business API
• •any follow-on litigation or appeals that could change enforcement timelines (Reuters; BBC). Observers will also track whether the Commission imposes specific technical interoperability or nondiscrimination obligations as part of broader remedies

Editorial analysis: For teams deploying or integrating conversational agents, this decision temporarily alters access dynamics in the EU market by restoring a widely used distribution channel. Industry players should evaluate dependencies on proprietary messaging APIs and consider diversification of endpoints, while tracking legal outcomes that could shape commercial terms long term.

The Commission has compelled Meta to reopen WhatsApp to rival AI assistants while it pursues an antitrust probe, invoking rare interim powers and leaving in place a potential penalty of up to 10% of turnover for noncompliance. Reporting across Reuters, BBC, Politico, UPI and the Commission press release provides the factual basis for these points.