WhatsApp has announced a change taking effect 15 January 2026: broad, general-purpose AI chatbots—the kind designed to answer almost any question—will no longer be supported inside WhatsApp. This does not mean automation is going away.

WhatsApp will continue to allow business-specific automation delivered through the WhatsApp Business API (often shortened to “WABA”). In simple terms, assistants that help customers with concrete tasks—checking an order, managing a booking, getting account support—can continue operating on WhatsApp, provided they run on the Business API and stay within a defined business scope.

Background and rationale

Over the past year, open-ended AI assistants have grown rapidly on messaging platforms. While powerful, these assistants can generate a high volume of unpredictable traffic and conversations that are not tied to a business outcome.

WhatsApp’s new policy narrows usage to utility-driven conversations so the platform remains reliable, the experience stays consistent, and users clearly understand that WhatsApp chats with businesses exist to complete tasks—not to provide a general AI companion.

Implications for businesses

If your brand offers a broad “ask-me-anything” assistant on WhatsApp, that experience will need to move to another channel such as your website or mobile app. By contrast, most task-focused automations—customer support triage, order updates, appointment management, authentication and one-time passwords, and compliant notifications—can continue on WhatsApp when built on the WhatsApp Business API.

For teams still using only the WhatsApp Business app on a device, daily work is not immediately affected, but you won’t have the reliability, throughput, interactive components, analytics, and governance that the API provides. As message volumes grow and journeys become more complex, the Business API becomes the sustainable path.

What to do now

Start with a quick review of your current WhatsApp journeys. Any open-ended prompts should be retired or reframed so the assistant clearly serves your business: “help me track an order,” “reschedule an appointment,” “start a return,” “connect me to an agent.” If you offer a broader AI experience for research or creative tasks, host it on your web or app channels and link to it from WhatsApp when appropriate.

Next, standardise on the WhatsApp Business API (WABA) for customer conversations at scale. The API provides the infrastructure businesses expect—approved message templates for proactive outreach, high concurrency for busy periods, interactive messages that guide customers to completion, integrations with commerce and CRM systems, and the reporting needed to prove outcomes and maintain quality.With this foundation, you can remain compliant while continuing to automate meaningful parts of the customer journey.

Our recommendation

We recommend consolidating WhatsApp automation on WABA. It aligns with the policy direction, supports high-quality customer experiences, and gives teams the control they need as volumes grow. If you’re currently mixing general AI chat with business flows, separate the two: keep business tasks on WhatsApp via WABA, and move open-ended AI to channels designed for exploration.

At ChatDaddy, we build and operate WhatsApp automations that meet these requirements. We can audit your existing flows, migrate you to WABA if needed, and optimise templates, quality metrics, and analytics so your team keeps delivering fast, reliable service on WhatsApp.

Summary

• What changes: From 15 Jan 2026, general-purpose AI chat will no longer run on WhatsApp.

• What remains: Business-specific automation continues on the WhatsApp Business API (WABA).

• Impact: Open-ended assistants must move to web or app; task-based workflows may continue on WhatsApp.

• Recommended response: Review your flows, define clear business intents, and standardise on WABA for scale, reliability, and compliance.