Microsoft has announced that its Copilot AI chatbot will officially leave WhatsApp on January 15, 2026. This decision comes shortly after OpenAI confirmed the departure of its ChatGPT from the platform on the same date. The shift is a result of Meta's recent update to its business API policy, which effectively restricts all general-purpose AI chatbots from operating on WhatsApp, allowing only Meta's own AI. Since its introduction to WhatsApp in late 2024, Microsoft expressed pride in the positive impact Copilot had on users. The company emphasized that it is facilitating a smooth transition for users to continue accessing Copilot on various other platforms, including mobile, web, and PC. However, it is important to note that conversations held with Copilot on WhatsApp are classified as “unauthenticated,” meaning users will not be able to transfer their chat history to alternative Copilot platforms. Microsoft encourages users to utilize WhatsApp's export tools to save any important conversations before the cutoff date.

Meta's rationale for this policy shift seems to be centered around managing increased demands on its server capacity, asserting that it seeks to limit the use of third-party AI chatbots within its ecosystem. The updated policy explicitly prohibits AI providers from accessing the WhatsApp Business Solution unless they belong to Meta. As a result, Meta's own AI chatbot will be the sole AI operation available on the platform, thereby reducing competition within the arena.

In a bid to maximize monetization, Meta has also indicated that it intends to leverage interactions with Meta AI for targeted advertising and delivering personalized content to users. This strategy could potentially increase traffic to Meta AI, consequently generating higher ad revenue for WhatsApp. As the landscape for AI chatbots on messaging platforms evolves, both providers and users will need to adjust to these changes in policy and access.