Meta's WhatsApp Chatbot Ban Reversed in Italy and Brazil After Regulatory Pushback

Meta's attempt to restrict third-party AI chatbots on WhatsApp has hit a significant regulatory roadblock. After launching a global ban on October 2025, the company has now confirmed that users in Italy and Brazil will continue to have access to services like ChatGPT through WhatsApp, following pressure from national competition authorities.

The original policy, which took effect on January 15, 2026, prohibited AI providers from using WhatsApp's Business API to offer their services as the primary functionality within the app. This was aimed at companies like OpenAI and Perplexity that had been using WhatsApp as a lightweight interface for their chatbot services. Meta's stated rationale was to prevent WhatsApp from becoming a "replacement" for official AI apps, though the company maintained that customer support bots using AI as an ancillary feature remained permitted.

For many users, particularly in markets with data-conscious mobile carriers, WhatsApp offered a compelling alternative. In countries like Brazil, where WhatsApp is exempt from monthly data caps by many carriers, interacting with ChatGPT through the familiar messaging app meant avoiding additional data charges. Some users also preferred the simplicity of treating AI assistants as regular contacts in their chat list rather than switching between apps.

The ban prompted swift regulatory action. Italy's competition authority, AGCM, launched an investigation in late December and concluded that Meta's move constituted an abuse of market power. In a December ruling, AGCM stated that the ban "may limit production, market access or technical developments in the AI Chatbot services market, to the detriment of consumers." The authority ordered Meta to immediately suspend the restriction in Italy to preserve access for Meta AI's competitors.

Brazil followed a similar path. The country's competition watchdog, CADE, imposed a preventive measure and opened its own administrative inquiry into WhatsApp's new terms. Meta's compliance with these orders led to the specific exemption for Italian and Brazilian users.

The regulatory pushback extends beyond these two countries. An ongoing investigation by the European Commission could potentially expand the exemption to other EU nations. According to Meta's updated terms, the ban remains in place "for now" in the rest of the world, with the company reserving the right to determine what constitutes "primary" versus "incidental" AI functionality.

The updated WhatsApp Business Solution Terms now explicitly state: "Providers and developers of artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies... are strictly prohibited from accessing or using the WhatsApp Business Solution... for the purposes of providing, delivering, offering, selling, or otherwise making available such technologies when such technologies are the primary (rather than incidental or ancillary) functionality being made available for use." However, the terms include a crucial exception: "such technologies may be made available to WhatsApp users who have registered phone numbers with an Italian or Brazilian country code."

This regulatory intervention raises important questions about platform governance in the AI era. WhatsApp, with over 2 billion users worldwide, represents a massive distribution channel. By restricting third-party AI services, Meta effectively controlled which AI assistants could reach its user base through its platform. Competition authorities viewed this as potentially stifling innovation and limiting consumer choice.

The situation also highlights the complex relationship between messaging platforms and AI services. While Meta has its own AI assistant, Meta AI, the company's attempt to limit competitors' access to WhatsApp's infrastructure suggests a strategic effort to maintain control over the AI experience within its ecosystem. For users, the ability to interact with their preferred AI assistant through their preferred messaging app represents a form of ecosystem lock-in—or freedom from it, depending on the platform's policies.

The regulatory outcome demonstrates that national competition authorities are increasingly willing to intervene in tech platform decisions that affect market competition, particularly in emerging AI markets. This precedent could influence how other platforms approach similar restrictions in the future.

For now, Italian and Brazilian WhatsApp users can continue their conversations with ChatGPT and other AI chatbots through the app, while the global policy remains in effect. The ongoing EU investigation will determine whether this exemption expands to other European countries in the coming weeks.

Key Takeaways:

• Meta's third-party AI chatbot ban on WhatsApp has been reversed in Italy and Brazil
• Competition authorities in both countries deemed the restriction anticompetitive
• The exemption applies specifically to users with Italian or Brazilian phone numbers
• An ongoing EU investigation could extend the exemption across Europe
• The case highlights growing regulatory scrutiny of platform control over AI services