Meta is making changes to WhatsApp and Messenger to add interoperability with third-party chat apps (in Europe, of course) and the company is Sharing how it would work In a new post, based on previous reports, Meta started working on enabling third-party chats last year after the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) rules came into effect. Under the DMA, “gatekeepers,” or the industry’s largest companies and platforms, have to ensure interoperability with third parties as they are prohibited from favoring their own services.
The company said it gathered feedback from potential partners and other stakeholders to help it shape the new experience. To start, it designed new notifications for WhatsApp and Messenger that would alert users when a third-party service is available for integration. Users will be able to choose which third-party apps they want to receive messages from, and can opt to receive those messages in a separate inbox. Those who don’t mind receiving messages alongside their Messenger or WhatsApp chats can choose a combined inbox.
The apps will also bring advanced messaging features to third-party chats, so they won't be limited exclusively to text messages. Users will be able to react and reply directly to specific messages, see an indicator while the other person is typing, and receive read receipts. Next year, they'll be able to create group chats, and in 2027, they'll be able to make voice and video calls to their friends on other apps.
“Users will begin to see the third-party chat option when a third-party messaging service has built, tested, and launched the technology necessary to make the feature a positive and safe user experience,” Meta explained, meaning not all of users' favorite messaging apps will be integrated with WhatsApp and Messenger. The company said, however, that it will continue to collaborate with other services to expand its availability.
