Both OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Copilot are leaving WhatsApp due to upcoming changes to the messaging app’s terms of service that prohibit it from being used to distribute non-Meta AI chatbots.
OpenAI announced his planned departure a few weeks ago with Microsoft following it this week. Both companies linked these departures to Meta’s novel terms of service for WhatsApp Business Solution, which will come into effect on January 15, 2026, and said chatbots will remain available on WhatsApp until that date. ChatGPT users can link their accounts to WhatsApp to ensure their chat history is transferred, although Copilot users will not have this option.
WhatsApp announced an update to his conditions in October, banning artificial intelligence companies from using business APIs as a distribution platform for chatbots. Other companies will still be able to employ WhatsApp for customer service or support chatbots, with the terms only prohibiting cases where the AI is a product itself – a plain way to stop Meta’s AI rivals from using its own platform to reach customers.
“The purpose of WhatsApp Business API is to help businesses provide customer service and send relevant updates,” said an anonymous Meta spokesperson TechCrunch then. “We are focused on supporting the tens of thousands of businesses that are building these experiences on WhatsApp.”
The change means that other third-party AI chatbots, including Perplexity, will likely announce their departure from WhatsApp soon, leaving Meta AI the only option available from January next year.