Meta is rolling out third-party chat integration for WhatsApp users in Europe. This development was recorded as a step taken in line with the requirements of the European Union‘s Digital Markets Act (DMA). Users will soon be able to chat with people on different messaging applications via WhatsApp.
WhatsApp opens its doors to other messaging services in Europe
According to the statements made, small-scale tests in recent months have been completed successfully. The option for WhatsApp users to chat directly with people on messaging apps such as BirdyChat and Haiket will soon be available across Europe. This represents an important step in the company’s process of complying with the interoperability requirements of the EU Digital Markets Act. With this new system, the walls between messaging applications will be removed within the borders of the European Union.
Users in Europe will be able to share messages, images, voice messages, videos and files when they enable third-party integration. All of these core communication functions are designed to work cross-platform. The option to create groups with third-party users will come into play when Meta’s partners are ready to support this feature. Group chats are expected to become an important part of cross-platform communication in the future.
In the coming months, users in the European Region will be shown a notification in the Settings tab. This notification will detail the process of connecting with people in third-party applications and how this feature works. For now, the integration will only work on Android and iOS devices and will not be available on desktop web or tablet versions. No information was shared about when the feature will come to other platforms.
Connecting with people on other messaging apps is a completely optional feature. Users will have the freedom to turn third-party chats on and off at any time. This control will be entirely in the hands of the user, and there will be no change in the WhatsApp experience for users who do not want it.
According to leaks, these collaborations with BirdyChat and Haiket are the result of three years of work. In this process, a third-party chat solution that complies with DMA requirements was developed together with European messaging services and the European Commission. The company also requires third-party messaging services to use the same level of end-to-end encryption as WhatsApp.
Meta has also made adjustments to help users understand the differences between chats on WhatsApp and third-party chats. According to the information shared recently, users will be able to create a special folder for third-party messages or choose a unified inbox. Users will also be notified whenever a new third-party messaging application is added to the system.