WhatsApp to interoperate with Third-Party Messaging Apps
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Soon users won’t be forced into a single messaging app just because their friends use it
WhatsApp will soon become interoperable with third-party messaging apps, a change driven directly by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
For the first time, WhatsApp users on iOS and Android will have the option to enable “third-party chats,” a dedicated feature allowing interaction with users on other platforms that have implemented WhatsApp’s interoperability protocol.
two smaller apps – BirdyChat for work users and voice app Haiket – will be the first to connect, Meta announced. Once enabled, users will be able to send texts, images, videos, voice notes and files from WhatsApp to BirdyChat/Haiket, and vice versa.
Group messaging with users on external apps is not yet supported but is planned for future updates.
Meta said this expansion is more than a feature rollout; it reflects more than three years of collaboration with European messaging providers and the European Commission to ensure compliance with DMA obligations while maintaining strong user privacy protections.
“The DMA requires meta to give people using WhatsApp in Europe the option to connect with people using third-party messaging services that have