EU orders Meta to restore free WhatsApp access for rival AI assistants, threatening 10% fine

The European Commission issued interim measures on June 9, 2026, ordering Meta to restore free access to its WhatsApp for Business API for rival general-purpose AI assistants within five working days. The order—the first interim enforcement action the Commission has taken under its ongoing antitrust investigation into Meta's AI-related gatekeeping behavior—requires Meta to maintain that access until the probe concludes, or until June 2029 at the latest.

What's new

The European Commission's interim order requires Meta to:

• Restore free WhatsApp for Business API access for competing AI assistants within five working days of June 9, 2026
• Maintain free access for the duration of the Commission's antitrust investigation (or until June 2029 at the latest)
• Face a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover for non-compliance

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera stated that in rapidly evolving markets, competition can be lost long before a final decision is adopted, and that the interim measures are designed to prevent harm that would be almost impossible to repair—safeguarding competition in the growing market for AI assistants by preserving WhatsApp as a key consumer entry point in Europe.

Meta responded by calling the order "regulatory overreach" and announced it would appeal. The company characterized the ruling as unfairly subsidizing competitors, arguing that the Commission had effectively decided that some of the world's largest companies could use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free.

Context

Meta barred rival AI services from accessing its WhatsApp for Business API in October 2025, while exempting its own Meta AI assistant—a practice the Commission characterized as discriminatory under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA). Meta reopened access in March 2026 but introduced fees that the Commission concluded further distorted competition.

The Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation in December 2025 and filed initial charges in February 2026. Additional charges followed in April 2026 after the fee structure was introduced. The interim measures announced June 9 are designed to preserve the competitive status quo while the full investigation proceeds.

Why it matters

WhatsApp has more than 2 billion global users and is the dominant consumer messaging platform across Europe, Latin America, and large parts of Asia. For AI assistants trying to compete with Meta AI on reach and consumer engagement, access to WhatsApp's API is strategically significant.

This is the first time the Commission has used interim measures in an ongoing antitrust probe to regulate AI distribution practices. If the measures survive Meta's appeal, they establish that WhatsApp's API must be treated as regulated infrastructure for the duration of any antitrust investigation—a structurally important precedent for how AI services compete in Europe under the DMA.

The five-day compliance window is aggressive and reflects how seriously European regulators are treating the speed of AI market consolidation. The measures remain in force until the investigation concludes, or June 2029 at the latest.