The European Commission today ordered Meta to restore access to WhatsApp for rival AI chatbots, slapping the company with interim measures that force it to let third‑party assistants reconnect while an antitrust investigation rolls on. The move responds to policy changes Meta made last year that left its own AI assistant as the primary integration on WhatsApp and triggered complaints from smaller AI providers. For Bay Area developers and startups that had built plans around WhatsApp integrations, the ruling clears a major commercial roadblock, at least while regulators sort out the case.
What Brussels ordered and why
The Commission said it has sent Meta a Supplementary Statement of Objections and intends to order the company to reinstate third‑party AI assistants’ access to WhatsApp under the same terms that existed before Meta’s October 15, 2025 policy change. The interim measures are designed to prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition while the formal probe continues. According to a European Commission press release, the measures will stay in place until the Commission reaches a final decision on the substance of the case.
Meta pushes back and the penalty risk
Meta said it will appeal the order and branded the intervention regulatory overreach, arguing that the decision would effectively let major rivals use a paid WhatsApp Business product without paying. As reported by The Associated Press, the commission’s interim order would remain in force until June 2029 or until the investigation ends, and Meta could face fines of up to 10% of its annual revenue if it fails to comply. That enforcement ceiling matches the Digital Markets Act and related EU rules, which arm Brussels with hefty penalty powers for non‑compliance. Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 lays out the Commission’s authority to impose fines and periodic penalty payments where gatekeeper obligations are breached.
How Meta tried to defuse the probe
Meta did not go straight to a hard cutoff. After the October policy shift effectively limited WhatsApp integrations, the company revised terms in March to allow third‑party assistants on a paid basis, then later offered limited access windows while talks with Brussels continued. TechCrunch documented Meta’s March policy revision and the per‑message pricing that set off complaints from smaller rivals, and EU officials told the Commission those changes still looked exclusionary in practice. Regulators say a pay‑to‑play model would likely leave fledgling assistants unable to compete on equal footing with Meta’s own product.
Why the ruling matters to developers and startups
WhatsApp is a crucial distribution channel in Europe, and blocking or charging rivals for API access could lock in an unfair edge for Meta’s assistant by limiting where users can try alternative AI services. Bloomberg and other outlets have framed the Commission’s interim decision as a bold, precautionary use of EU enforcement tools to keep fast‑moving AI markets contestable. If Meta is forced to revert to the old terms, smaller competitors keep a real route to users across the EEA while the investigation plays out. Bloomberg has tracked how the probe has escalated since regulators first flagged concerns.
Legal implications
The Commission’s move sits where classic competition law meets the EU’s newer digital‑markets toolbox. The inquiry relies on Article 102 TFEU for potential abuse of dominance and uses interim‑measures powers to act quickly when Brussels sees a risk of irreversible market harm, as set out in its documents. The DMA and the Commission’s implementing powers give regulators a broad menu of remedies, from orders restoring access to steep fines and daily penalty payments for continued non‑compliance, although any decision can be appealed to EU courts, which could stretch the dispute into a multi‑year legal battle. See the Commission’s materials for the procedural steps and Regulation (EU) 2022/1925 for the penalty framework. European Commission documents outline these powers in detail.
Meta now has the chance to reply in writing and request an oral hearing as the Commission weighs the interim step, and the company has already signaled it will appeal. However the process unfolds, regulators and industry watchers say the case will set a key precedent on whether messaging platforms can act as gatekeepers for AI distribution, a question that will echo through Silicon Valley and across Europe as companies race to build the next generation of assistants. For the moment, developers and competitors at least have temporary clarity that WhatsApp access cannot be restricted while Brussels finishes its probe. As the Commission and Meta trade filings, expect fresh legal briefs, detailed technical negotiations and likely appeals before this fight is finally put to bed. The Associated Press provides the core documents and quotes behind the decision.
