Meta has announced that WhatsApp is rolling out third-party chats in Europe to allow users there to connect with people on other messaging services. This implementation is required for Meta to remain in compliance with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) interoperability requirements.
The company said that the option will be rolling out across the European Region for users soon on Android and iOS for users who decide to opt-in, meaning it won’t be the default option.
The first services that will be implemented with WhatsApp are BirdyChat and Haiket. For those not familiar, BirdyChat is targeted at work-related chats, while Haiket is a voice-first messaging platform. Unfortunately, as Meta will only be covering interoperability in Europe, those in the rest of the world won’t be able to connect to these other platforms via WhatsApp which could cause some friction.
In terms of functionality and user experience, users will be able to share messages, images, voice messages, videos, and files. The option to create groups with third-party users will be available once partners are ready to support it. Meta also said connecting with third-party apps is optional and can be turned on or off at any time. Users will see a notification in the Settings tab to explain how to opt-in.
For those wondering what the situation is surrounding encryption, Meta’s interoperability solution has been built to preserve end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and other privacy guarantees as far as possible. The third-party messaging apps must use the same level of E2EE as WhatsApp.
When users first connect to other platforms, WhatsApp will take them through an onboarding process to ensure they have a proper understanding of the main differences between standard WhatsApp chats and third-party chats.
It’s unclear if we will ever see this launch outside of Europe. The company was essentially forced from last year to implement interoperability under EU law, which doesn’t extend beyond the bloc’s frontiers, meaning Meta doesn’t have to add this feature in the rest of the world.