Meta is opening WhatsApp in the European Union to competing AI chatbots after pressure from antitrust authorities, marking a significant shift for one of the region’s most widely used messaging platforms.
The company said the measure will apply for 12 months. The move is expected to head off a possible interim order from competition regulators, who had warned in recent weeks that excluding rival chatbots from WhatsApp could restrict competition.
Meta is not offering access for free. Rivals will have to pay to connect to the platform, and the European Commission said it will assess whether that pricing structure affects its ongoing antitrust investigation.
The case adds to a broader pattern of regulatory intervention. In January, Meta opened WhatsApp in Italy following an order from the country’s competition authority, while investigations there are still ongoing. In Brazil, the company has also been required by court ruling to grant third-party access.
Even with the concession, critics say Meta has not solved the core problem. Marvin von Hagen, chief executive of the startup Interaction Company of California, which develops the AI assistant Poke.com, said the company had merely replaced one anti-competitive barrier with another through what he described as punitive pricing.
Until now, WhatsApp users have largely been limited to Meta AI, the group’s own in-house assistant. The EU decision could begin to loosen that grip, but the ultimate impact will depend on how regulators judge the terms Meta is setting for rivals.