WhatsApp kicked ChatGPT out in January, and Europe has just forcibly put it back.

OpenAI is announcing it as good news for European users. ChatGPT is once again available on WhatsApp across the entire European Union, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. All you have to do is add the verified contact 1-800-CHATGPT (+1 800 242 8478) to your chats to access the assistant, without having to create an OpenAI account beforehand.Linking your account is still possible to benefit from higher usage limits, but this step is not essential to start chatting with the AI, import images, send voice messages, or generate them.

What Meta Was Forced to Do

What OpenAI’s announcement does not explicitly say is the context that made it possible. This reversal follows a European Commission decision ordering Meta, in early June, to restore free access to WhatsApp for AI assistants competing with Meta AI while it completed its antitrust investigation. Meta then had five business days to allow third-party general-purpose AI assistants to use the WhatsApp Business API on the same terms as before October 15, 2025, which effectively meant free access.

The matter dates back to fall 2025. Meta had then modified the rules of its WhatsApp for Business API to exclude third-party general-purpose AI assistants, notably ChatGPT and Copilot, leaving only Meta AI with native access to the app. In March 2026, the company had reopened access to its competitors, but for a fee. In the Commission’s view, this high price effectively reproduced the effects of the initial ban by making access commercially unviable for competitors. Teresa Ribera, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition, had justified the measure’s urgency by explaining that competition can disappear long before a final decision is reached in markets that evolve so rapidly.The measure remains provisional and will apply until the conclusion of the investigation, for which the Commission has not yet set any deadline.

How to use it on WhatsApp?

On OpenAI’s side, communication is obviously still focused on the user experience. Emmanuel Marill, OpenAI’s general manager for the EMEA region, welcomed the rollback, which should enable everyone to use the AI tools of their choice on the platforms they prefer. The company also pointed out that it recently expanded access to ChatGPT via Viber and Kakao in countries where those messaging apps are available.

For French users, availability will depend on the country code of the WhatsApp number used and will gradually be extended across the entire European territory concerned. Nevertheless, this rollback has a special status: it is not a voluntary and definitive decision by Meta, but a temporary obligation linked to an ongoing procedure. The rollback also comes as OpenAI prepares to introduce advertising on the free version of ChatGPT in France, making WhatsApp a significant additional distribution channel for the company. If the Brussels investigation were to conclude differently, or if a different compliance agreement were reached, ChatGPT’s access to WhatsApp could once again change.

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