Microsoft’s AI chatbot Copilot will no longer be available on WhatsApp after January 15. After that date, users will not be able to chat with the AI on WhatsApp unless they switch to Microsoft’s own Copilot mobile apps or use the chatbot via the web.
The company explained it is removing Copilot from the popular messaging app to comply with WhatsApp’s revised platform policies, which were announced last month. At the time, the Meta-owned messenger said it would no longer support general-purpose AI chatbots from using its WhatsApp Business API to serve their customers. Instead, it wants to reserve those resources for other types of businesses.
This change does not mean that businesses cannot use AI to serve their own customers. It does, however, put an end to WhatsApp being a channel for AI chatbot distribution, which will impact companies like Microsoft, OpenAI, Perplexity, and others. OpenAI had already announced its plan to wind down its WhatsApp integration in January.
Unfortunately for Copilot users on WhatsApp, their chat history is not being preserved when they move to Microsoft’s platform. This is because the access to the chatbot on WhatsApp was unauthenticated. Microsoft recommends that users who need to retain their conversations for future reference export them using WhatsApp’s built-in tools before the January 15 deadline.