The European Commission has ordered Meta to restore third-party artificial intelligence access to the WhatsApp Business API within five days. The interim measures, announced Wednesday, force the company to reverse a policy change that cut off developers and businesses from using AI tools to interact with customers through the platform.
Meta, which owns WhatsApp, responded by calling the EU's action 'regulatory overreach.' The company now has until the end of next week to comply — or face potential fines that could reach a percentage of its global revenue.
What the EU demands
The Commission's interim measures require Meta to reinstate API access for third-party AI services that had been blocked. Those services let businesses automate replies, analyze customer messages, and integrate chatbots into WhatsApp. The EU says cutting that access violated competition rules.
The order is temporary, but it sets a clear timetable. Meta must submit a compliance plan within 48 hours and fully restore access by day five. Regulators didn't specify which AI providers were affected, but the move covers any third party that had legitimate access before the policy shift.
Why the dispute matters
WhatsApp's business API is a key gateway for companies to reach customers across Europe. Small businesses and large enterprises alike rely on it for order updates, customer support, and marketing. By restricting AI-driven tools, Meta effectively limited how those businesses could automate and scale their operations.
The EU argues that such restrictions harm competition in digital services. The bloc has been increasingly aggressive about enforcing its Digital Markets Act, which targets gatekeeper platforms that control access to markets. WhatsApp, with its 2 billion users globally, fits that description.
Meta's defense
Meta hasn't yet detailed why it changed the API policy. But in its public statement, the company described the EU's intervention as excessive. 'Regulatory overreach' is the phrase it used — a sharp contrast to the EU's view that the measure is about protecting fair competition.
The company has faced similar battles in Europe before. Privacy rulings, antitrust cases, and content moderation laws have all put Brussels and Menlo Park at odds. This time, the fight is over who gets to build on top of Meta's infrastructure.
What happens next
Meta has five days from the order's issuance to comply. If it fails, the Commission can impose fines of up to 5% of Meta's average daily worldwide turnover per day of non-compliance. That could add up quickly — Meta's daily revenue is roughly $300 million.
The company could also appeal the interim measures in EU courts, though that wouldn't suspend the deadline. For now, developers and businesses that lost API access are watching the clock. They'll know by next week whether the order sticks — or whether the standoff escalates.
