Microsoft just announced that its Copilot AI chatbot will stop working on WhatsApp starting January 15, 2026. This follows an earlier confirmation by OpenAI that ChatGPT is also being pulled. The move is not voluntary.
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The Rule Change: Killing the Competition
Meta quietly updated its WhatsApp Business API policy. The new rule is strict, and let’s be real, its target is clear:
“AI Providers… are strictly prohibited from accessing or using the WhatsApp Business Solution…”
Essentially, Meta is banning all general-purpose AI chatbots—the ones that do general chat, summarizing, and creative tasks—from the platform. They officially claim this is due to the “additional load on its servers,” because these complex LLMs generate huge, unpredictable traffic volumes.
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The thing is, the new policy leaves only Meta AI as the general-purpose assistant on the platform. This conveniently funnels all user traffic toward Meta’s own AI product, curbing the competition that Microsoft and OpenAI had brought in.
The Real Stakes: Ads and Data
This move isn’t just about server load. It’s about revenue.
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Monopoly: Meta AI is now the default, built-in chatbot.
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Ad Revenue: Meta recently confirmed it will use conversations with Meta AI to show users personalized ads and content. Higher traffic for Meta AI equals higher potential ad revenue for WhatsApp.
What Users Need to Do Now
Microsoft is trying to manage the transition, but there’s a major catch:
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No Transfer: Because Copilot conversations on WhatsApp were “unauthenticated,” your chat history will not automatically transfer to the standalone Copilot app or website.
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Export Now: Microsoft is advising users to “export them using WhatsApp’s export tools before January 15, 2026,” if they want to retain their chat history. After that date, the data is permanently gone.
If you want to keep chatting with Copilot, you need to switch to the dedicated Copilot app on mobile, web, or PC. The party’s over on WhatsApp.
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