Microsoft Copilot Exits WhatsApp as Meta Bans Third-Party AI Bots

Microsoft has announced that Copilot will officially discontinue support on WhatsApp starting 15 January 2026, marking the end of third-party large language model (LLM) chatbots on Meta’s messaging platform. This move follows new WhatsApp policy changes that restrict external AI agents from running conversations, effectively shutting down one of Copilot’s most accessible and widely used channels. 

The announcement has surprised many users who relied on Copilot’s WhatsApp integration for quick coding help, AI summaries, creative writing, personal tasks, and everyday assistance without needing to install separate apps. But with the new policy in place, the AI assistant will no longer function—and Microsoft warns that users must manually export their entire chat history, as WhatsApp data will not sync with the standalone Copilot app, the Windows version, or the web interface. 

Why Microsoft Copilot Is Leaving WhatsApp 

Meta updated its developer and AI policies to prohibit third-party LLM chatbots from operating inside WhatsApp and Messenger. The company is now pushing developers to use Meta’s own Meta AI infrastructure, which is deeply integrated across its messaging products. 

Under the new rules: 

• No external AI agents can process or store WhatsApp messages 

• Bots cannot run conversational LLM models inside WhatsApp 

• Third-party providers cannot link WhatsApp data with external AI systems 

This effectively blocks Microsoft Copilot—and any other external AI chatbot—from continuing their services on the platform. 

For Microsoft, the change means shutting down a popular integration that made Copilot more accessible for users in India, the UAE, and Southeast Asia, where WhatsApp is the preferred communication channel. 

Users Must Export Their Chats Before January 15 

Microsoft clarified that WhatsApp chat history is not transferable to: 

• Copilot Web 

• Copilot mobile apps 

• Windows Copilot 

• Microsoft 365 Copilot 

If users want a record of their earlier conversations, they must download the chat manually using WhatsApp’s export feature. This is especially important for users who stored long-term notes, saved code snippets, drafted documents, or maintained AI-generated content inside WhatsApp chats. 

After January 15, the Copilot chat thread will be deleted and become inaccessible. 

A Shift Toward Platform-Controlled AI Ecosystems 

The removal of Copilot from WhatsApp highlights a growing trend: tech platforms are tightening control over AI agents running inside their ecosystems. 

• Apple restricts system-level AI to Apple Intelligence 

• Meta wants Meta AI across WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook 

• Google is pushing deeper integration of Gemini into Android and Chrome 

• Microsoft keeps Copilot tightly woven into Windows and Office 

With WhatsApp blocking third-party LLM bots, Meta reinforces its vision of keeping AI interactions within its own AI stack rather than depending on external players. 

What Users Can Expect Going Forward 

While Copilot is exiting WhatsApp, Microsoft emphasized that users can continue accessing all AI features through: 

• The Copilot mobile app (Android, iOS) 

• Copilot on the web 

• Copilot in Windows 

• Microsoft 365 apps (Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel) 

• Copilot GPTs and plugins 

Microsoft is also expanding multimodal capabilities, voice-based interactions, and advanced agent features across its native apps—making them more capable than the WhatsApp experience. 

A Quiet Goodbye to a Popular Integration 

Copilot on WhatsApp was loved for its simplicity: no apps to install, no login complexity, and AI assistance right inside a familiar chat interface. Its exit marks the end of a short but impactful phase of AI-in-messaging, replaced now by tighter platform policies and more controlled AI ecosystems. 

For users, the message is clear: export your chats, shift to the Copilot app, and prepare for a future where messaging AI is platform-owned, not third-party powered.