Open AI’s ChatGPT has returned to WhatsApp across the European Union after the 6-month stop imposed by the new Meta rules. If you use the messaging app every day to exchange texts, photos and voice notes, this is good news: starting today you can chat directly with OpenAI’s artificial intelligence without leaving the messaging application. The service had been suspended since mid-January, due to some changes in Meta’s app policies. To use it, just save and text +1-800-242-8478.
All this thanks to the intervention of the European Commission. Last June, the Brussels antitrust authorities imposed a series of urgent precautionary measures on Meta, ordering the tech giant to once again guarantee thefree access to WhatsApp for all competing virtual assistants, including ChatGPT. According to the European guarantors, the commercial limitations introduced by Meta risked stifling free competition in an extremely dynamic and rapidly evolving sector, causing serious and difficult to repair damage to the artificial intelligence market.
Emmanuel Marill, VP and Managing Director EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) at OpenAI, explained the goal of this move:
AI is most useful when people can access it where they want and when they want. Bringing ChatGPT back to WhatsApp in Europe means offering access and choice, giving people the freedom to use the AI tools that best meet their needs, on the platforms they prefer.
ChatGPT on Whatsapp: a block that lasted 6 months due to the new Meta rules
The suspension of ChatGPT on WhatsApp was announced by OpenAI already in October last year and became effective on January 15, 2026. Today, exactly six months after that block, the chatbot from the company directed by Sam Altman is back in operation throughout the European Union (including Italy) and in the countries of the European Economic Area, such as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The reactivation of the service is taking place through a gradual “rollout”. This, translated into simple words, means that, at the time you are reading this article, you may not have received the feature yet. Most likely, however, you will not have to wait more than a few days to be able to use ChatGPT on WhatsApp again.
How to use AI on messaging app
But let’s get to the fun part and see how to activate ChatGPT on your WhatsApp account. To return to using the OpenAI chatbot on WhatsApp, simply save the number +1-800-242-8478 in your address book. Once this is done, open WhatsApp, search for the contact in your chats and, using the message typing bar, send your request to the chatbot.
Those who already have an OpenAI account can connect it to the WhatsApp chat: it is not mandatory, but it is useful to overcome standard usage limits and have more questions and answers available per day.
