WhatsApp Relents, App Undergoes Total Transformation Owing to Government
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - WhatsApp will undertake a major change to its platform policies after regulatory pressure from the European Union (EU). Starting this year, AI chatbot rivals of Meta Platforms are allowed to access WhatsApp.
Meta Platforms said the move aims to anticipate a temporary order from the EU antitrust regulator after complaints from competitors whose services had been blocked from the WhatsApp messaging app.
The European Commission last month threatened interim steps to prevent serious harm to Meta’s rivals after the company blocked them from WhatsApp. The move mirrors actions by competition watchdogs in Italy in December 2025.
Meta was forced to concede and said to the European Commission that rival AI chatbots would be allowed access to WhatsApp, but with a fee. Previously, as of 15 January 2026, only Meta’s AI assistant was allowed to operate on WhatsApp.
“For the next 12 months, we will support versatile AI chatbots using the WhatsApp Business API in Europe in response to the European Commission’s regulatory process,” said a Meta spokesperson, quoted by Reuters, on Friday (6 March 2026). “We believe this removes the need for immediate intervention because it gives the European Commission time to complete its investigations,” he added.
The European Commission said it is analysing how Meta’s policy change blocking rival AI chatbots affects competitors. This is part of interim measures and broader antitrust investigations.
Meta had previously stated that rising use of chatbots on its platform strains its systems and that there are other channels for AI providers, including app stores, search engines, email services, partnership integrations, and operating systems.
In January, Meta also allowed rival AI chatbots to operate within the WhatsApp ecosystem in Italy, after a direct order from the Italian antitrust authority. Nevertheless, investments continue.
The Interaction Company of California, developer of the Poke.com AI assistant and a plaintiff to EU and Italian regulators, urged Brussels to impose a temporary order against Meta.
“What Meta presents as good-faith compliance is actually the opposite. The company is now introducing pricing that makes it difficult for AI providers to operate on WhatsApp, effectively as hard as a total ban,” said its CEO, Marvin von Hagen.
Therefore, what is called the ‘Italy solution’ is not a solution at all. It merely swaps one anti-competitive restriction for another,” he added.
Meta said the policy changes would also apply in Brazil after a court restored the order from the country’s antitrust authority that had been suspended by another court in January 2026. The Brazil case mirrors the EU and Italy cases.