Microsoft to Pull Copilot AI From WhatsApp on Jan. 15, 2026

Microsoft will remove its Copilot AI chatbot from WhatsApp on Jan. 15, the company said, ending a short run on one of the world’s largest messaging platforms.

After that date, WhatsApp users won’t be able to chat with Copilot unless they move to Microsoft’s own Copilot mobile apps or use the web version.

To facilitate the transition, Microsoft suggests the following steps:

 1) Download the Copilot app from your device's app store,

 2) Sign in with your Microsoft account.

 3) Continue chatting with Copilot.

The company said the change is tied to WhatsApp’s updated platform rules announced in November.

Meta, which owns WhatsApp, updated its Business API to block general-purpose AI chatbots from operating on the platform. 

WhatsApp said those slots would be reserved for businesses using the API for customer support and other operational needs, not for distributing AI agents. 

The move affects Microsoft, OpenAI, Perplexity, and any company that relied on WhatsApp as a discovery channel for chatbots.

OpenAI had already confirmed it will wind down its WhatsApp integration in January.

Important Note For Copilot AI Users

For Copilot users, the shift won’t be seamless. Chat histories won’t carry over to Microsoft’s apps because the WhatsApp integration wasn’t tied to authenticated accounts.

Microsoft advised users to export their conversations through WhatsApp’s built-in tools before Jan. 15 if they want to keep a record of past chats.

The update doesn’t stop companies from using AI inside their own customer workflows. 

It only closes WhatsApp as a distribution route for general AI chatbots, one of the fastest-growing entry points in 2024 and 2025.