New Delhi: If you use ChatGPT on WhatsApp, this news is important for you. Meta has announced under its new policy that starting January 2026, no third-party AI bots will be allowed to run on WhatsApp. This means that bots like ChatGPT and Perplexity AI will now be removed from the platform.
Meta has stated that this change will take effect 15 January 2026. After this, running any third-party AI assistant on WhatsApp or Instagram will be completely prohibited. Only bots that comply with Meta’s official Business API rules will be able to operate on the platform.
This move will directly impact millions of users who were accessing ChatGPT through WhatsApp.
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Following this decision, OpenAI, the company that created ChatGPT, has informed its users that the ChatGPT bot on WhatsApp will be discontinued by January 2026.
However, the company has assured that ChatGPT will not be discontinued, users will be able to continue using it on other platforms.
OpenAI stated that users can access ChatGPT through the ChatGPT website, chat.openai.com, mobile apps (iOS and Android), and the AI-enabled browser ChatGPT Atlas.
If you were using ChatGPT on WhatsApp and want to preserve your old chats, OpenAI has provided a solution.
Users can link their ChatGPT account to their WhatsApp profile and save a backup of their chats to their ChatGPT profile to preserve old conversations.
According to Meta, running third-party bots on WhatsApp was putting excessive pressure on its servers. Furthermore, these bots were impacting the user base of Meta’s own Meta AI Assistant.
Therefore, the company has decided that only authorized and secure bots will be allowed to operate on the platform.
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OpenAI has stated that while ChatGPT will be removed from WhatsApp, its experience will be enhanced across the website, mobile app, and browser platforms.
The company clarified, “ChatGPT isn’t going anywhere, it’s just moving beyond WhatsApp.”
While Meta’s decision will limit the use of third-party AI bots, OpenAI has provided several alternatives for ChatGPT users. This means that even after January 2026, users will be able to enjoy ChatGPT without interruption on the website, mobile app, and Atlas browser.
