Microsoft has announced that its artificial intelligence assistant, Copilot, will cease functioning on WhatsApp beginning January 15.

After this date, users will no longer be able to access the chatbot through the messaging platform unless they switch to Microsoft’s dedicated Copilot mobile apps or use the web version.

According to the company, the withdrawal became necessary following WhatsApp’s newly updated platform policies released in December.

The revised rules prohibit general-purpose AI chatbots from operating through the WhatsApp Business API, a channel formerly used by companies to deploy their conversational tools.

Meta, WhatsApp’s parent company, clarified that the policy shift aims to prioritize the platform’s resources for other categories of business operations.

Although businesses can still integrate AI into their internal customer-service processes, WhatsApp will no longer serve as a distribution hub for standalone AI chatbots. This update affects major players including Microsoft, OpenAI, and Perplexity.

OpenAI had earlier disclosed its plan to phase out its WhatsApp integration in January, signalling a broader industry adjustment to the new policy environment.

For Copilot users, the transition comes with a notable inconvenience: chat histories will not transfer to Microsoft’s official platforms.

Because the WhatsApp connection was unauthenticated, Microsoft cannot migrate existing conversations.

The company advises users who wish to preserve their chat records to export them via WhatsApp’s built-in tools before January 15.

The discontinuation marks the end of Copilot’s short-lived presence on WhatsApp, prompting users to migrate to alternative channels to maintain access to the AI assistant.

Source: Techcrunch