ChatGPT Returns to WhatsApp in Europe: Free Access Restored

ChatGPT Returns to WhatsApp in Europe: Free Access Restored

The famous ChatGPT is making its return to WhatsApp in Europe, six months after its removal imposed by Meta. Under pressure from the European Commission, access is once again free and does not require an account across the entire European Economic Area.

WhatsApp is reopening its doors to ChatGPT throughout Europe. ChatGPT is now available on WhatsApp in France and Europe since Monday, July 13, 2026, several months after being excluded by Meta. This return, free and without the obligation to create an account, follows an intervention by the European Commission, which deemed that Meta was locking access to its messaging service in favor of its own assistant, Meta AI. This outcome speaks volumes about the tug-of-war currently taking place between regulators and digital giants over control of entry points to consumer-facing artificial intelligence.

Meta had removed ChatGPT from WhatsApp, but Europe would no longer tolerate it. On January 15, 2026, ChatGPT simply disappeared from WhatsApp. The reason was a change in the terms of use of the WhatsApp Business API, which prohibited generic AI chatbots from operating on the platform starting from that date. A clause that, conveniently, completely spared Meta AI.

OpenAI had to urgently redirect the tens of millions of users who had adopted ChatGPT on WhatsApp worldwide to its own applications. This was a significant blow for those who had grown accustomed to chatting with the chatbot directly from their everyday messaging app, without juggling between multiple applications.

From Brussels, the maneuver did not go unnoticed. Prompted by three smaller players than the giants of the sector, namely The Interaction Company, publisher of the assistant Poke.com, the French startup Agentik, and a Spanish competitor, the European Commission considered it a textbook case of anti-competitive lock-in orchestrated by a dominant platform.

Here's How to Use ChatGPT on WhatsApp

Under pressure, Meta initially attempted half-measures, facing the threat of a fine that could rise to 10% of its global revenue under the new European regulations. In March, the company reopened access to WhatsApp for competing chatbots, but for a fee. This was deemed insufficient by Brussels, and thus, in May, another concession from Mark Zuckerberg's firm came with a month of completely free access. Ultimately, it was the Commission that would decide, in early June, imposing free and lasting access through temporary antitrust measures.

Since Monday, ChatGPT has once again become usable in the European Union, including France, as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, without even requiring a ChatGPT account. To benefit from this, all one needs to do is send a message to the verified contact 1-800-CHATGPT to start chatting, sending images, or voice messages.

Linking one's ChatGPT account remains possible to enjoy more generous usage limits, but IT IS NO LONGER MANDATORY. The rollout is happening in phases, as availability depends on the country code associated with the WhatsApp number, before gradually extending to all affected users. In any case, in France, we were able to test it, and it works.

At OpenAI, they are relishing this return without holding back their pleasure. “AI is particularly useful when it is accessible where and when users want it,” summarized Emmanuel Marill, General Manager of OpenAI for the EMEA region, who promises more choices for users regarding the AI tools and platforms that suit them. This is a boon for the millions of former users of the feature. OpenAI also announced the expansion of ChatGPT to Viber and Kakao messaging services in countries where they are available. A clear way to embed the chatbot into daily digital habits, rather than confining it to a dedicated application.