Meta has updated the conditions of use of its WhatsApp business API to prohibit access to third-party generalist chatbots, as reported TechCrunch. The measure, which comes into effect on January 15, 2026, affects tools such as ChatGPT, Perplexity, Luzia and Poke.
Meta AI From then on, it will be the only generalist AI assistant that will remain operational on the platform.
Why is it important. WhatsApp has more than 3 billion monthly active users, which has turned the platform into an unrivaled distribution channel for AI companies.
The decision consolidates Meta’s control over the AI experience in its ecosystem and eliminates direct competitors that had free access to its huge user base.
The blow to Luzia. The Spanish chatbot, created after the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, went viral precisely due to its integration with WhatsApp. Its star feature—the automatic transcription of voice audio—turned Luzia in a phenomenon. WhatsApp later incorporated this same function natively.
That viral hook led Luzia to reach one million users very quickly. At the beginning of this year, in a report in which we analyze his state at that timehad 60 million users in 40 countries, having raised 30 million euros in financing.
- The startup operates both as a standalone mobile application for iOS and Android…
- …as a service integrated into WhatsApp, although with more limited functions in this latest version.
Between the lines. Meta justifies the change by arguing that generalist chatbots generate an excessive volume of messages that overloads its systems and requires a type of support for which the company is not prepared. However, the context suggests other types of motivations:
- WhatsApp’s business API is one of the main sources of income for the platform.
- Meta charges businesses based on different message templates: marketing, utilities, authentication, and support.
- The problem is that there was no specific category for AI chatbots, which meant that companies like OpenAI or Luzia were accessing WhatsApp’s infrastructure and audience without paying for it.
The money trail. During the presentation of results for the first quarter of 2025, Mark Zuckerberg stressed that enterprise messaging was “the next big opportunity” to generate income. “Enterprise messaging should be the next pillar of our business,” he explained.
In this context, allowing competitors like OpenAI to distribute their products for free through WhatsApp is not only a technical burden, but a lost business opportunity.
- Meta has clarified that the ban does not affect companies that use AI as an auxiliary tool to serve their customers.
- A travel agency operating a customer service bot or a bank with an automated assistant can continue to operate without problems.
The key distinction is that AI should be an “incidental or auxiliary” functionality, not the core product.
ANDn game. Luzia will have to concentrate its efforts on its native mobile applications. The startup still operates without a defined business model, financing itself exclusively through venture capital. In January 2025, its CEO Álvaro Higes explained that its future strategy will likely include advertisements and sponsored links.
ChatGPT, Perplexity and the rest of the generalist chatbots have less than three months to prepare their departure from WhatsApp. For users, the transition will mean migrating to these services’ native apps or settling for Meta AI as the only in-app option.
Featured image | Mika BaumeisterLuzia
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