WhatsApp considers letting users to message across platforms to other messaging apps through third-party chat integration. This becomes following the Europe’s mandate to include interoperability in Messaging Apps.
How many messaging apps do you juggle every day? While WhatsApp might handle your family chats, you might need Telegram for a specific group, or Signal for a privacy-focused conversation. This digital fragmentation often means switching apps just to maintain communication.
This is all about to change, at least for users in Europe. Meta, the parent company of WhatsApp, is rolling out a groundbreaking feature called “third-party chats” that will allow users to send messages, images, and files to contacts on different messaging services—all without leaving WhatsApp. This monumental shift is driven by new European regulations and is set to fundamentally redefine how messaging platforms interact.
Why Interoperability Is Happening
This major development is not a voluntary decision but a compliance measure driven by European law. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires major digital gatekeepers, like Meta, to provide users with the option to connect with people using interoperable third-party messaging services.
Following months of successful small-scale tests, the feature is rolling out across the European Region. This marks a significant milestone in Meta’s effort to comply with the DMA’s interoperability requirements. This ensures that people using WhatsApp in Europe have the choice to connect with other apps that have chosen to make themselves interoperable.
How the New Third-Party Chats Will Work
The core objective of the rollout is to provide a seamless user experience while maintaining the security WhatsApp users expect.
Opting In and First Partners
Soon, WhatsApp users in the European Region will start seeing a notification in the Settings tab explaining how they can opt-in to connect with people on third-party apps. It is important to know that connecting with people on other messaging apps is optional, and users can turn third-party chats on or off at any time.
The first third-party services to implement messaging interoperability with WhatsApp are BirdyChat and Haiket. This integration is currently available for users who have opted in across Android and iOS devices, but it will not initially work on desktops, web, or tablets.
Shared Data and Security Standards
Once a user has opted in, they will be able to share basic communication types with users on the partner apps. This includes messages, images, voice messages, videos, and files.
A major concern during the development was maintaining security and privacy. Meta designed the third-party interoperability while maintaining end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and other privacy guarantees in its services “as far as possible”. This commitment is formalized by requiring that third-party messaging apps must use the same level of E2EE as WhatsApp.
Organizing Your Inbox
To ensure a clear and simple experience, Meta is helping users distinguish between native WhatsApp chats and external third-party chats. Users will be able to choose how they view these messages: they can set up a designated folder for third-party messages or, alternatively, opt for a combined inbox.
Calling and Group Chats
The full vision of interoperability will be rolled out in phases over the next few years, starting with basic messaging and file sharing.
The ability to create groups with third-party users is part of the planned expansion and will become available once Meta’s partners are ready to support the functionality. Meta has indicated that group functionality for third-party chats will be rolled out in 2025.
For those wondering about real-time communication, voice and video calling features in accordance with the DMA are slated to launch much later, in 2027. Furthermore, “rich messaging” features, which include conveniences like reactions, direct replies, typing indicators, and read receipts, will be brought to third-party chats at some unspecified point in the future.
This move establishes a new precedent for how major technology companies must interact with smaller platforms, ushering in an era where the messaging application you choose might matter less than the people you are trying to reach.
Key Takeaways:
- WhatsApp is introducing third-party chats in Europe due to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
- Users can opt-in to connect with contacts on other messaging services like BirdyChat and Haiket directly from WhatsApp.
- The initial rollout includes basic messaging, images, voice messages, videos, and file sharing, with end-to-end encryption.
- Group chats with third-party users are planned for 2025, and voice/video calling for 2027.
- Meta is prioritizing security and user experience by allowing users to organize their inbox with separate or combined views for third-party chats.
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