- ChatGPT and Copilot announced that they will leave WhatsApp in 2026
- The measure is motivated by a change in WhatsApp’s terms of service.
- That means you’ll be forced to use Meta AI if you want a WhatsApp chatbot.
ChatGPT still leads the pack of best AI tools, with rivals like Copilot not far behind, and WhatsApp users have long been able to take advantage of those chatbots within their messaging app. Unfortunately, Microsoft has now revealed that Copilot will be leaving WhatsApp due to a new Meta policy, following a similar ChatGPT announcement last month.
Conveniently, that leaves you with a single AI bot option within WhatsApp: Meta’s own Meta AI. And this is likely to be a big disappointment considering how unpopular this chatbot has proven to be, given that it cannot be removed.
Why exactly are ChatGPT and Copilot leaving WhatsApp? It all comes down to a change to the WhatsApp Business Solution terms of service, which will come into effect on January 15, 2026.
When that happens, AI companies will be banned from using WhatsApp’s API for their own chatbots, meaning ChatGPT, Copilot and others will have to remove their products from the app (although both chatbots will remain on WhatsApp until that date).
Interestingly, the terms do not prohibit chatbots used for customer support or service, only those where the chatbot itself is the product, which is exactly what you get with ChatGPT and others.
A step back?
When the changes were first announced in October, a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch that “the purpose of the WhatsApp Business API is to help businesses provide customer support and send relevant updates.”
However, one result of this is that you will soon be forced to use Meta AI if you want to talk to an AI chatbot within WhatsApp. And that may not be a popular option considering the poor reception Meta AI has had since it was first added to WhatsApp.
All it takes is a quick look at Reddit to find countless threads decrying Meta AI and declaring it “the most useless and stupid thing I’ve ever used.” When it becomes the only AI chatbot you can use within WhatsApp, those complaints will only get louder.
While ChatGPT and Copilot announced that they will abandon WhatsApp when the ban goes into effect in January, other providers, such as Perplexity, have remained silent.
However, unless Meta changes its mind, they will also have to eliminate their own services in 2026. And with so much to gain from banning competition, we can’t imagine Meta deviating from this course anytime soon, unless it is forced to do so.
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