Overview
- The European Commission, which issued the interim measure on Tuesday, June 9, told Meta to reinstate third‑party access to the WhatsApp for Business API on the same pre‑October terms within five working days.
- Regulators opened a formal investigation in December after Meta changed its terms in October 2025 to block rival assistants while exempting its own Meta AI, and the company later offered paid access that Brussels rejected as effectively a ban.
- Meta has announced it will appeal the order and called the decision regulatory overreach, warning that the measure forces a paid business product to be provided free to large competitors.
- The Commission said the step is necessary to prevent serious and irreparable harm to competition and made clear Meta risks fines of up to 10 percent of global turnover for non‑compliance.
- The case tests how European regulators will police platform gatekeeping: WhatsApp access matters because it is a direct route to users, and the ruling could shape distribution, monetization, and market entry for AI services across the bloc.