1 hour ago
Last Updated:January 16, 2026, 13:28 IST
ChatGPT and other AI bots available on WhatsApp are now being disabled as the messaging app changes the rules.
WhatsApp has banned ChatGPT and other AI bots from helping the users
The start of January 2026 has spelled the end of AI bots that are available on WhatsApp for billions. And one of them is ChatGPT as OpenAI has been forced to disable its AI bot from the messaging app after Meta changed the game for all relevant applications. And with the deadline of January 15, 2026, the new rules have come into effect.
Meta has noticed that most of the Businesses using its app API have devised ways to integrate their AI assistant that serves the general users. The company has changed the rules by stopping these companies from building their AI assistant bots and making them available on WhatsApp. This is a big jolt for ChatGPT and Perplexity among others who have offered their WhatsApp bots to make the features widely available.
A New AI Battle Ensues
OpenAI is being forced to shut down ChatGPT bot on WhatsApp for billions of users and it has no say in this decision. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp and Instagram, has decided to stop letting third-party apps offer AI assistants through bots.
The company says the AI bot ban doesn’t have to impact their use of ChatGPT as they also have a website, a mobile app and even a browser now that lets you access ChatGPT and its features (most of them) for free. So, the best way to offset the use of ChatGPT bot is to use the AI chatbot in its original versions.
OpenAI is also aware that people might want to save their existing conversations through the WhatsApp bot. And for that, the company says you can save all the chats by linking the ChatGPT account through the ChatGPT contact profile in WhatsApp.
It is quite intriguing to hear Meta say that regular AI assistants (apart from its own) cannot be working through WhatsApp bots. At the same time, Meta claims that customer-facing service bots will be allowed.
This clearly tells you the impact of these new API rules are targeted at ChatGPT and other AI assistant bots that seem to have thrived with the presence on WhatsApp which has billions of daily active users in many countries.
Location :
Delhi, India, India
First Published:
January 16, 2026, 13:28 IST
News tech ChatGPT Bot Now Fully Blocked On WhatsApp For Users: Here’s Why
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