WhatsApp is taking a significant step towards ensuring greater digital openness across Europe by enabling seamless communication that extends beyond the borders of its own platform, making it closer to enabling seamless communication that extends beyond the confines of its platform itself.
According to the requirements for interoperability outlined in the EU’s Digital Markets Act, the company is preparing to add third-party chat support to its chat services within the European Union.
A new feature that is being offered by WhatsApp will allow users to communicate with users on other messaging services which are willing to integrate with the WhatsApp framework. This feature can be opted into by individuals who choose to opt in.
An initial rollout, planned in Europe for both Android and iOS devices, will cover the basics like text, photos, videos, voice notes, and files, while a later phase will include a broader range of capabilities, including cross-platform group chats.
The new system is offered as an option and can be controlled in the application's settings. However, WhatsApp's new features have been built in a way that ensures that end-to-end encryption standards are maintained within WhatsApp's existing security protocols, ensuring users' privacy is never compromised as a result of expanding connectivity.
A few users in the European Union have reported a new "third-party chats" section in their WhatsApp account settings, which indicates that WhatsApp may be expanding its cross-platform ambitions. While this feature is still under development and has not yet been formally introduced, it gives a glimpse into how the platform intends to streamline communication across multiple platforms by making it easier to communicate.
The Messenger app also offers users the option to sync their messages, photos, videos, voice messages, and documents with external apps, allowing them to exchange messages, photos, videos, voice notes, and documents with these apps or separate them into a separate section that is clearly identified and accessible to them.
It is important to note that some WhatsApp functions, including status posts, disappearing messages, and stickers, remain unsupported for the time being, and there are some limitations in place, such as the possibility of receiving messages from individuals previously blocked on WhatsApp who initiate contact through another platform.
When users receive incoming message requests from third-party platforms, they can choose to respond immediately to messages or review them at their convenience according to how they want. In addition to providing a detailed preview of how the cross-platform experience will function once it has been released to a broader audience, WhatsApp’s testing phase will also give an in-depth look at how the cross-platform experience functions in real life.
In parts of the European Union, Google is undergoing test trials regarding a new setting that exists within the app, known as "third-party chats," and allows users to exchange text messages, images, videos, voice notes, and documents with compatible external services through these third-party chats.
In the beta period, BirdyChat seems to be the only app that is connected, but as more platforms adopt the required technical framework, there is expected to be a broader interoperability.
It is up to the user to decide whether to store these conversations in his or her primary inbox or separate folders based on his or her individual preferences.
Some platform-specific tools, such as status updates, disappearing messages, and stickers, will not carry over to external exchanges, since they will only be accessible on WhatsApp. This feature is entirely optional, allowing those satisfied with WhatsApp's existing environment to leave it disabled.
Further, WhatsApp blocked users are still able to reach out to those blocked via a third-party application, which the company has noted in its testing.
Although WhatsApp's own communication channels continue to be encrypted end-to-end, the level of protection for messages that are exchanged with other platforms is a result of the encryption policies adopted by those services.
The company maintains that it cannot read the content of chats sent by third parties, even when they are accessed through WhatsApp' interface.
Despite months of controlled testing, what has been done to highlight the progress made through the cross-platform initiative is now moving into a broader rollout phase.
As part of a recent announcement by the company, we learned that WhatsApp users in the European region will shortly be able to communicate directly with people using BirdyChat and Haiket by using the newly introduced third-party chat feature.
Meta describes this advance as a key milestone that will help Meta meet the EU's requirements for interoperability under the Digital Markets Act of the European Union.
The new feature will enable European users to send messages, images, voice notes, videos, and files via external platforms to their external contacts and as soon as partner services complete their own technical preparations, users will be able to exchange group messages and images with each other.
A notification will appear in the Settings tab to guide users through the opt-in process as Meta plans to enter this feature gradually over the coming weeks. Currently, the feature is only compatible with Android and iOS, leaving desktop, web, and tablet versions of the app unaffected.
As Meta points out, these partnerships were developed over the course of several years as a result of repeated efforts by European messaging providers and the European Commission to establish an interoperability framework that is both DMA-compliant and protects the privacy of users.
It is mandatory for all third-party interactions to follow encryption protocols, which are consistent with WhatsApp's own end-to-end protections.
Furthermore, the interface has been designed to make it easy for users to distinguish between native and external chats. The system was already previewed by Meta in late 2024, which included features like a dedicated folder for third-party messages and an alert system when a new external messaging service becomes available for use.
In accordance with the Digital Markets Act, WhatsApp is under pressure to support only the most basic messaging functionality.
However, WhatsApp is in the process of developing advanced features for third-party chat users who enable the function.
A number of advanced interaction features will accompany the initial rollout of Meta's communication services, such as message reaction, threaded replies, typing indicator, and read receipts, ensuring a smoother and more familiar communication process across multiple services.
There is also a long-term roadmap that has been developed by the company, which includes the introduction of cross-platform group chats in 2025, as well as the implementation of voice and video calling by 2027, once technical integrations have matured.
Aside from the fact that WhatsApp emphasizes that the wider availability of these features depends on how soon other messaging apps will embrace the necessary standards for interoperability, the company believes the ultimate goal is to create an intuitive, secure platform that allows users to seamlessly communicate across multiple platforms with ease and without any hassle.
A feature like the one listed above, as WhatsApp moves steadily towards a more integrated messaging ecosystem, will likely have a long-term impact that extends beyond the convenience it provides. As WhatsApp opens its doors to external platforms, it is positioning itself at the center of a unified digital communication landscape—one in which users will not have to juggle a variety of applications in order to remain in touch.
The shift provides consumers with greater flexibility, a wider reach, and fewer barriers between services, while for developers it creates a new competitive environment based on interoperability rather than isolation. It is quite likely that, if this transition is executed well, it will redefine how millions of people around the world navigate their daily lives.
