WhatsApp has started Test sending and receiving messages from third-party applications in the European Union, a step that responds to the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The novelty, already visible to some beta users on Android, shows an inbox from which you can choose whether to integrate or keep “third-party chats” separate from the rest. It is not a distant possibility: it is the beginning of interoperable messaging between platforms.
Beyond the headline, what is relevant is what changes for the user. According to Meta, the plan is to start with messages one by one with text, images, voice notes and fileskeep the end-to-end encryption (E2EE) and expand to groups in 2025 and calls in 2027 if everything goes as planned. The company will require connecting services to use the Signal protocol or a compatible equivalent to ensure security. It won't be an “anything goes”: there will be technical requirements, anti-spam controls, and privacy safeguards.
What you can do (and what you can't) with “third-party chats”
In this first phase, the users from the countries of the European Economic Area You will see a new section called “third party chats” that is activated voluntarily. From there, you can respond to messages that arrive from other platforms without creating an account in them. For now, we talk about individual conversations with basic functions: text, photos, videos, audios, stickers and filesin addition to reactions, direct responses, write indicators and read receipts when the service connected admit these capabilities. The groups they will arrive laterand the calls (voice and video) are provided for in the development plan.
Of course, there are important limits: backups, statuses, real-time locations, or communities They will continue to be WhatsApp's own. Each app must adapt to technical specification that Meta has published to integrate and pass tests of secure interoperability. If a third party does not comply, WhatsApp may block the connection to protect users from spam.
Security and privacy: E2EE is not negotiated
Meta states that the exchange will remain protected by end-to-end encryption (E2EE). To achieve this, external apps will need to encrypt messages using the Signal protocol or an equivalent and encapsulate the messages in an agreed upon format. WhatsApp does not decrypt the content of those messages; acts as an intermediary in the delivery of messages. Interoperability will be limited, in principle, to countries of the European Economic Areasince this is where the DMA mandate applies. Whether it jumps to other markets will depend on both the third party adoption as well as regulatory changes.
What it means for you and the Android ecosystem
If you use Android, this interoperability It can save you from installing an additional app just to talk to someone who doesn't use WhatsApp. It also allows alternative clients or niche services—for example, focused on privacy or productivity—to communicate with WhatsApp, without you having to leave your favorite app. For developers, it is an opportunity—and a challenge—: meet the security level and offer a seamless experience It will be key so that the user does not notice differences.
In summary, WhatsApp prepares to coexist with other services without breaking the security nor the experience. It is not an instant change, but it is a turning point: messaging is no longer a walled garden and approaches a more open modelwith clear advantages for the user… as long as third parties get on the bandwagon and do it well. Likewise, we are still waiting for the new file manager in this app instant messaging, which promises to facilitate file management to optimize storage use.
