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Published Date : 19/10/2025
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has updated its business API policy to prohibit general-purpose chatbots, affecting companies like OpenAI and Luzia. This move is aimed at maintaining the platform's focus on business-to-customer interactions.
WhatsApp, owned by Meta, has updated its business API policy to prohibit general-purpose chatbots, affecting companies like OpenAI and Luzia. This move is aimed at maintaining the platform's focus on business-to-customer interactions.
WhatsApp, the popular chat app owned by Meta, has made significant changes to its business API policy. This week, the company introduced a new section in its terms that specifically addresses 'AI providers' and bans the distribution of general-purpose chatbots on its platform. This move is set to take effect on January 15, 2026, and will impact several notable AI companies, including OpenAI, Perplexity, and Luzia, among others.
The updated terms explicitly state that Meta will not allow AI model providers to distribute their AI assistants on WhatsApp. The policy reads:
> Providers and developers of artificial intelligence or machine learning technologies, including but not limited to large language models, generative artificial intelligence platforms, general-purpose artificial intelligence assistants, or similar technologies as determined by Meta in its sole discretion (“AI Providers”), are strictly prohibited from accessing or using the WhatsApp Business Solution, whether directly or indirectly, 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, as determined by Meta in its sole discretion.
Meta confirmed this change to TechCrunch, clarifying that the move does not affect businesses using AI for customer service on WhatsApp. For example, a travel company running a bot for customer support will not be barred from the service. The company's rationale behind this decision is that the WhatsApp Business API is designed for businesses serving customers, not for distributing chatbots. Meta emphasized that while the API was built for business-to-business use cases, it has recently seen an unanticipated surge in the use of general-purpose chatbots.
The company stated, “The purpose of the WhatsApp Business API is to help businesses provide customer support and send relevant updates. Our focus is on supporting the tens of thousands of businesses who are building these experiences on WhatsApp.” Meta also noted that the new chatbot use cases have placed a significant burden on its system, leading to increased message volume and requiring different types of support that the company was not prepared for.
This move will effectively make WhatsApp unavailable as a platform to distribute AI solutions like assistants or agents. As a result, Meta AI will be the only assistant available on the chat app. Last year, OpenAI launched ChatGPT on WhatsApp, and earlier this year, Perplexity introduced its own bot on the chat app. Both bots were capable of answering queries, understanding media files, replying to voice notes, and generating images, which likely generated a substantial amount of message volume.
However, the bigger issue for Meta was the financial aspect. WhatsApp’s Business API is one of the primary revenue streams for the chat app. It charges businesses based on different message templates, such as marketing, utility, authentication, and support. Since there was no provision for chatbots in this API design, WhatsApp was unable to charge them. During Meta’s Q1 2025 earnings call, CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted the importance of business messaging for the company’s revenue growth.
“Right now, the vast majority of our business is advertising in feeds on Facebook and Instagram,” he said. “But WhatsApp now has more than 3 billion monthly active users, with more than 100 million people in the US and growing quickly there. Messenger is also used by more than a billion people each month, and there are now as many messages sent each day on Instagram as there are on Messenger. Business messaging should be the next pillar of our business.”
This policy change underscores Meta’s commitment to maintaining the integrity and intended use of its Business API, while also ensuring that the platform remains a valuable tool for businesses and customers alike.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS):
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQS):
Q: What is the new policy change on WhatsApp regarding chatbots?
A: WhatsApp has updated its business API policy to prohibit general-purpose chatbots from being distributed on its platform. This change will take effect on January 15, 2026.
Q: Which companies will be affected by this policy change?
A: This policy change will affect companies like OpenAI, Perplexity, and Luzia, which have been using WhatsApp to distribute their AI chatbots.
Q: Why is WhatsApp implementing this policy change?
A: WhatsApp is implementing this change to focus on business-to-customer interactions and to manage the increased message volume and support requirements that come with general-purpose chatbots.
Q: How does this policy change affect businesses using AI for customer service?
A: The policy change does not affect businesses using AI for customer service on WhatsApp. These businesses can continue to use the platform as usual.
Q: What is the financial impact of this policy change for WhatsApp?
A: This policy change allows WhatsApp to focus on its primary revenue streams, such as charging businesses for different message templates, without the burden of managing and supporting general-purpose chatbots.
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