EuroWire, BRUSSELS: The European Commission has filed formal antitrust charges against Meta Platforms, setting out a preliminary view that the company may have abused its market position by restricting how third-party artificial intelligence assistants can access and interact with users on WhatsApp. The Commission said it is also considering interim measures that could require Meta to reverse the restrictions while the investigation continues, citing risks of serious and irreparable harm to competition.
The case centers on access to the WhatsApp Business API, the interface used by businesses and developers to connect services to WhatsApp for customer communications. Regulators are examining changes introduced through updated WhatsApp Business Solution Terms announced in October 2025 and fully effective on Jan. 15, 2026. Under that framework, Meta AI became the only AI assistant available on WhatsApp through those business tools.
The Commission’s statement of objections is a formal step in the procedure and does not represent a final decision. Meta has the right to review the Commission’s file, submit a written response, and request an oral hearing. The Commission said it will decide whether interim measures are warranted only after those defense rights have been exercised.
The Commission opened formal proceedings on Dec. 4, 2025, and said its investigation and the statement of objections cover the European Economic Area excluding Italy. Italy is handled separately because its competition authority has already taken interim action related to the same business terms. The Commission’s competition policy executive vice president, Teresa Ribera, said the aim of any interim step would be to preserve access for competitors during the investigation.
EU scrutiny of WhatsApp Business terms
Italy’s competition authority said on Dec. 24, 2025, it ordered Meta Platforms Inc., Meta Platforms Ireland Limited, WhatsApp Ireland Limited and Facebook Italy S.r.l. to immediately suspend the WhatsApp Business Solution Terms in Italy to preserve access to the platform for competitors. The authority said the terms would completely exclude rivals in the AI chatbot services market and that, while the investigation proceeds, the conduct could cause serious and irreparable harm to competition.
Meta has rejected the European Commission’s preliminary assessment and said there is no reason for EU intervention. The company has argued that people can access AI services through many other channels, including app stores, operating systems, devices and websites, and that the Commission’s reasoning assumes the WhatsApp Business API is a key distribution route for AI assistants. The Commission’s inquiry focuses on whether access conditions on a widely used messaging platform can be used to disadvantage competing services.
WhatsApp Web adds voice and video calling
Separately, WhatsApp has begun rolling out voice and video calling on WhatsApp Web, adding a long requested feature to the browser based client. The calling capability has started appearing for some users, including in the beta program, enabling one to one calls directly from a web browser after an account is linked. The browser interface adds call controls alongside chat, expanding beyond text, documents and media sharing.
WhatsApp’s desktop applications have supported calling for years, while WhatsApp Web historically required users to switch to a phone or a desktop app for voice and video conversations. The addition of calling on the web narrows that gap for users who work primarily in a browser environment. The rollout comes as Meta faces regulatory pressure in Europe over how business facing WhatsApp tools are configured for AI assistants, with authorities assessing whether the policy change unlawfully excludes competitors.