The Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp has been working to add third-party chats for quite some time now. It is being developed to comply with the DMA regulations and traces of the feature have been spotted in previous beta versions of WhatsApp.
More details about WhatsApp's third-party chat support have surfaced on the web as the website TheSpAndroid claims to have enabled the feature partially in the WhatsApp app. It has posted a video showing how you can set up third-party chats, noting that the user interface is in line with the details previously available.
As per the video, the option to enable third-party chats is present in the Accounts section of the app. When you enable the feature, WhatsApp warns that you're messaging someone on a third-party app, which "may use different end-to-end encryption," and "may handle your data differently than WhatsApp does."
WhatsApp will let you choose third-party apps during the onboarding process. While WhatsApp won't share your name and profile photo, those third-party apps will have access to your phone number. "This makes it possible for people on third-party apps to reach you, including people you have blocked on Whatsapp," according to a page shown in the video.
You'll no longer be able to send or receive messages if you disable third-party chats in the app and your existing conversations will become read-only. With that said, since the feature is under development, it might look different when it is released to the public in a future update.
Recently, WhatsApp's sister platform Threads dropped a demo of its fediverse integration. It is based on the ActivityPub protocol and allows users to follow Threads accounts from other platforms, such as Mastodon. WhatsApp is also working to improve its Favorites feature and the ability to set default media quality.
Source: TheSpAndroid
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