Observed Signal · Jul 15, 2026 · Regulation · Source: t3n · Impact: 5/5 · Sentiment: Positive
EU forces Meta to reopen WhatsApp to ChatGPT
The European Commission in June 2026 imposed interim antitrust measures requiring Meta to reopen WhatsApp to third‑party AI chatbots, reversing Meta’s 15 January 2026 change to the WhatsApp Business interface that had excluded external bots and left only Meta’s AI. The measures restored access for OpenAI’s ChatGPT on WhatsApp; OpenAI says ChatGPT is again reachable via the US contact +1‑800‑242‑8478 (supports text, images and voice) and has been used by roughly 50 million people, with linking to an existing ChatGPT account increasing usage limits. OpenAI warns conversations are stored, tied to phone numbers and may be temporarily reviewed. The interim measures remain while the antitrust case proceeds; Meta plans to appeal and non‑compliance could trigger fines up to 10% of global annual turnover.
A European Commission antitrust decision forces a major messaging platform (owned by Meta) to open its interface to third‑party AI — this affects platform openness, competition, integration of conversational AI into messaging, and sets a regulatory precedent with potential fines up to 10% of global revenue.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- In June 2026 the European Commission ordered Meta to reopen WhatsApp to third‑party AI chatbots, overturning Meta’s 15 January 2026 exclusion of external bots from the WhatsApp Business interface.
- OpenAI says ChatGPT is again accessible on WhatsApp via +1‑800‑242‑8478, supports text, images and voice, and linking a ChatGPT account can raise usage limits; about 50 million people have used it on the messenger.
- OpenAI warns conversations are stored, associated with the WhatsApp phone number and may be temporarily reviewed.
- The interim measures remain in place until the Commission’s antitrust case concludes; Meta intends to appeal and breaches could incur fines up to 10% of global annual turnover.
- A WDR-cited report notes WhatsApp has roughly 60 million daily users in Germany (about 80% of internet users).
Connected Companies & Entities
8 Entities mapped“An antitrust proceeding by the European Commission forced Meta to reopen the messaging app to third‑party AI....”
“OpenAI said that worldwide 50 million users had communicated with ChatGPT via WhatsApp and that ChatGPT is now reachable again via the messe...”
“The decision affected services such as Microsoft Copilot....”
“The decision affected services such as Perplexity....”
“According to a WDR report, about 60 million people in Germany use WhatsApp daily....”
“Focus Online, citing OpenAI, reported that ChatGPT is now again accessible via the messenger....”
“The site states that external content from TargetVideo GmbH supplements the editorial offering on t3n.de....”
“The article is published on t3n – digital pioneers (author: Noëlle Bölling)....”
Ontology Mapping & Concepts
Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
EU Orders Meta to Reopen WhatsApp to Rival AI Services
The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore free access for third‑party AI assistants to WhatsApp across the EU as interim measures, requiring Meta to implement the change within five working days. The Commission said it fears serious and irreversible harm to competition in the market for universal AI assistants and is continuing an antitrust probe that began in December 2025. Meta had blocked third‑party access to WhatsApp interfaces in October 2025, briefly reopened access in March but introduced a fee, which Brussels views as a de facto continuation of the blockade. The decision forces Meta to revert access to the same conditions that existed before 15 October 2025; violations could trigger fines up to 10% of global turnover and daily coercive penalties. The article also notes separate EU procedures demanding better youth‑protection enforcement on Facebook and Instagram, including a 13‑year minimum‑age rule with fines up to 6% of turnover.
ChatGPT returns to WhatsApp in Europe
The EU has ordered Meta to allow third‑party large language model (LLM) chatbots back onto WhatsApp in the European Economic Area after Meta had previously restricted non‑Meta chatbots like ChatGPT and Copilot in favor of Meta AI. The interim measures and ongoing antitrust scrutiny (a cartel/competition probe opened in December 2025) compelled Meta to re‑enable access for competitors across the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. OpenAI has signalled ChatGPT’s availability on WhatsApp (and notes availability on Kakao in South Korea and Viber in supported markets). On WhatsApp, ChatGPT supports text chat, voice messages, multiple languages, image upload and image generation features. The publisher tested availability and provides instructions for locating the official ChatGPT account on WhatsApp.
Meta Opens WhatsApp to Rival AI Chatbots for a Fee
Meta said it will permit general-purpose AI chatbot providers to use the WhatsApp Business API in Europe for the next 12 months, a concession made amid an EU antitrust review. The company will charge third-party AI providers per non-template message, with fees ranging from €0.0490 to €0.1323 depending on the country. The change, effective January 15, aims to give the European Commission time to complete its investigation into whether Meta's previous policy—barring third-party chatbots while Meta offered its own Meta AI on WhatsApp—was anti-competitive. The allowance excludes business uses of AI that send templated messages. Regulators in the EU, Italy and Brazil have raised concerns since Meta first imposed the restriction last October; Meta previously rolled out a similar allowance for developers in Italy in January.
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