The European Commission has formally warned Meta that its recent policy on WhatsApp may break EU competition rules.
Regulators say Meta may have unfairly blocked rival artificial intelligence assistants from operating on WhatsApp, giving its own AI tool an exclusive advantage.
According to the Commission, Meta updated its WhatsApp Business terms in October 2025 in a way that effectively banned third-party general-purpose AI assistants. Since mid-January 2026, only Meta’s own AI assistant, Meta AI, has been allowed to interact with users on WhatsApp. Competitors were pushed out completely.
EU regulators believe this move could seriously harm competition. In its preliminary assessment, the Commission says Meta is likely dominant in the European market for consumer messaging apps, mainly due to WhatsApp’s massive reach. By refusing access to rival AI services, Meta may be abusing that dominant position and blocking competitors from entering or growing in the fast-expanding AI assistant market.
The Commission also stressed urgency. It warned that excluding third-party AI tools could cause serious and irreversible damage by raising barriers for smaller companies and locking them out before the market fully develops. Because of this risk, the Commission plans to consider interim measures that could force Meta to reverse the policy while the investigation continues.
Meta has now received a formal Statement of Objections and has the right to respond, review evidence, and request a hearing. This step does not mean a final decision has been made, but it signals that EU regulators see a strong case at this early stage.
The investigation is based on EU competition law, including Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which bans the abuse of market dominance. If the Commission ultimately confirms its concerns, it could order Meta to change its practices, though any interim decision would not determine the outcome.
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Notably, the case applies across the European Economic Area except Italy, where national regulators already imposed temporary measures on Meta in December 2025.
