This illustration photograph taken on December 1, 2025, shows the logo of US instant messaging software WhatsApp displayed on a smartphone's screen, in Frankfurt am Main, western Germany. (Photo: AFP)

The European Commission told Meta on Monday to give rival chatbots access to its WhatsApp messaging service after an antitrust probe found the US giant to be in breach of the bloc's competition rules.

Competition chief Teresa Ribera said the EU was "considering quickly imposing interim measures on Meta, to preserve access for competitors to WhatsApp while the investigation is ongoing, and avoid Meta's new policy irreparably harming competition in Europe".