How to Remove Meta AI from WhatsApp: Step-by-Step Guide

BarcelonaFor the past few days, some WhatsApp users have been experiencing a blue circle appearing in three different places within the app: in the search bar, as a floating button in the lower right corner, and in a chat window. Meta's artificial intelligence, a ChatGPT-like assistant. While it offers several useful services, not everyone wants Meta AI in the messaging app. We offer a guide on how to manage and minimize it.

The most important thing to know is that there is currently no option in WhatsApp that can completely remove the AI integration. Meta believed that Smart Chat will be an integral part of the app's future experience, just as it once incorporated WhatsApp statuses or stories, images that last for 24 hours and then automatically delete. Still, there are ways to minimize its presence, beyond never tapping the Meta AI icon or interacting in any way. If the user doesn't explicitly request the AI, it won't appear.

Removing Meta AI: Is it a real option?

Of the three ways Meta AI is integrated, only the chat format can be deleted once a conversation has started. The AI will take the form of a contact and can even be added to groups, from where the administrator can delete it. The most effective option to remove the chatbot from WhatsApp is to delete any conversations you've had with Meta AI and then make the chat disappear directly. You need to search for the chat by typing "Meta AI." Then, tap (Android) or swipe left (iOS) and then tap the "Delete Chat" option, confirming if necessary.

It's important to remember that this process will not deactivate the AI from the app. It will only clear the conversation history (if any) and remove it from the main chat list, so it won't be visible every time the user enters WhatsApp. The AI will still be accessible through the blue Meta AI button or the search bar, so if the user ever wants to interact with it again, the chat will reappear.

What's Meta AI good for? Well, it can generate creative text, write code, summarize articles, and search the internet using Bing. However, its deployment in Europe is more limited than in the United States, as the European Union has stricter regulations. For example, in the US, AI can generate images, but not in the EU.