Meta is set to ban general-purpose chatbots from WhatsApp starting January 15, 2026, as part of a change to the WhatsApp Business API’s terms and conditions, making Meta AI the only general-purpose chatbot on the platform.
The policy change will impact several third-party services that have integrated with WhatsApp, including the WhatsApp client for ChatGPT, introduced in December 2024, and a similar tool from Perplexity, an AI search engine, launched in April. Other products, such as Luzia, a Latin America-focused chatbot, will also be affected by the new rule.
According to the updated terms, “large language models, generative artificial intelligence platforms, general‑purpose artificial intelligence assistants, or similar technologies” are prohibited from using the WhatsApp Business Solution if they represent the primary functionality of the service. This restriction targets services where the AI assistant is the main feature, not an ancillary one.
Despite the ban on general-purpose chatbots, businesses will still be able to use their own consumer-facing chatbots for specific tasks. For instance, a local restaurant can continue to manage its orders using a chatbot. Additionally, companies will be allowed to use data collected via WhatsApp for AI training, even though direct user chats with general-purpose AI bots will be blocked.
Meta stated that it is banning use cases that fall outside “the intended design and strategic focus” of the API. The company added that third-party chatbots were creating a burden on its systems and support teams. The move comes after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced in May that the company’s AI tools had reached one billion monthly users.
