WhatsApp is now set to lose Copilot on WhatsApp, according to an official statement from Microsoft. This development comes on the heels of social media giant Meta introducing new platform rules that bar large-scale AI chatbots from operating on the messaging service. After that date, users who relied on Copilot inside WhatsApp will need to shift to Microsoft’s mobile apps, web version or Windows integration, ending one of the most accessible entry points to the assistant since its introduction in late 2024.
The policy update in November caps the WhatsApp Business API to customer-service and commerce tools rather than general conversational agents built by external AI developers. Meta said the API had been strained by a rise in message volumes generated by AI chatbots, prompting the company to limit access so that the infrastructure continues serving businesses that rely on real-time automated responses. Under the revised framework, AI systems from companies such as Microsoft, OpenAI and Perplexity cannot operate on WhatsApp unless the bots are tied directly to a company’s customer-support workflow. Users who want to preserve records must download their WhatsApp chat export files before January 15, after which the data cannot be retrieved.
Still, this development sets up challenges for regions where WhatsApp functions as a default communication layer, including India, parts of Southeast Asia and South America. At the time of its inclusion, the WhatsApp integration required no Microsoft account, no app installation and no onboarding, making it attractive in regions where WhatsApp functions as the primary digital interface. Copilot’s disappearance from the platform may reduce its exposure in such markets. For its part, Microsoft said it will continue expanding Copilot’s capabilities across its ecosystem and remains committed to providing tools for creative tasks, coding, analysis and workflow automation.
“Since launching in late 2024, Copilot on WhatsApp has helped millions of people connect with their AI companion in a familiar, everyday setting. We’re incredibly proud of the impact it’s had. But starting January 15, 2026, Copilot will no longer be available on WhatsApp. This change is due to recent updates to WhatsApp’s platform policies removing all LLM chatbots from the platform effective January 15th, and as a result, Copilot will be discontinued. We’re working to ensure a smooth transition for users and enable their continued Copilot access on mobile, web, and PC,” Microsoft announced in its official statement.
In response, Microsoft is directing those users toward its standalone apps on iOS and Android, its web client and its Windows interface, all of which support advanced features that were not available on WhatsApp due to API constraints. Those features include Copilot Voice, multimodal image understanding and Mico, an expressive visual companion introduced earlier this year. WhatsApp, which serves more than two billion users, has historically reserved its Business API for commercial interactions, and Meta has sought to prevent the channel from becoming a distribution platform for external AI ecosystems. The policy update is in line with Meta’s strategy to expand its own AI tools across WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook, giving the company tighter control over content moderation, latency management and system load.
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