OpenAI’s ChatGPT will stop working on Meta from January 15 next year, the company said. In a post on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter), OpenAI wrote that Meta has changed its policies, “so 1-800-ChatGPT won’t work on WhatsApp after Jan 15, 2026”, adding “Luckily we have an app, website, and browser you can use instead to access ChatGPT”. For those unaware, Meta updated its Business Application Programming Interfaces (API) terms recently, banning general-purpose AI chatbots. The updated policy adds a dedicated clause for “AI Providers,” restraining developers of large-language models or generative-AI assistants from distributing their bots via WhatsApp’s business infrastructure.
OpenAI’s statement on WhatsApp ban on ChatGPT
In a statement, OpenAI said:“Unfortunately, due to a policy and terms change from WhatsApp, ChatGPT will no longer be available on WhatsApp after January 15, 2026. While we would have much preferred to continue serving you on WhatsApp, we are focused on making the transition as easy for all of our users as possible. You can keep your chats going in ChatGPT—available on iOS, Android, web, and ChatGPT Atlas on MacOS—where you’ll find additional features like voice conversations, deep research, and file uploads.”
How to keep chatting in ChatGPT
- Download the ChatGPT app on your Android phone, iPhone, or computer.
- Create a ChatGPT account and sign in.
- Connect your account with WhatsApp: Open the 1-800-ChatGPT contact on WhatsApp and tap the link in its profile.
Once you link your account, your phone number will be connected to ChatGPT, and your previous WhatsApp chats will show up in your ChatGPT conversation history.The company further advises users to link their account to phone number before January 15. “We recommend linking your account soon to maintain your history. Your WhatsApp conversations won’t transfer automatically after January 15, 2026. WhatsApp does not support chat exports,” it wrote.
