EU Warns Meta on WhatsApp Competition: Remove Restrictions Within 5 Days

The European Commission has imposed interim measures against Meta for practices that prevent rival AI assistants from offering services on WhatsApp. The Commission stated that Meta's move risks seriously harming competition in the rapidly growing AI assistant market. According to the Commission's preliminary assessment, Meta holds a dominant position in the European consumer communication apps market. It was stated that the company abused this position by blocking rival AI assistants' access to WhatsApp. A policy effective October 15, 2025, banned third-party general-purpose AI assistants from offering services via WhatsApp, leaving only Meta's own AI service, Meta AI, accessible. The Commission noted that Meta later reinstated access for third-party AI services but deemed the fees it demanded effectively created a barrier equivalent to the previous ban. Therefore, Meta was instructed to restore free access to the WhatsApp Business API for rival AI assistants within 5 business days, under the terms that were in effect before October 15, 2025. The European Commission has the authority to monitor anti-competitive practices in member states. Companies can face high fines for violating competition rules. This decision is seen as a significant step against allegations of Meta abusing its market dominance. This is not investment advice.