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WhatsApp Begins EU Rollout of Third-Party Chats Under the DMA

Meta frames the opt-in feature as DMA compliance with WhatsApp-level end-to-end encryption.

Overview

  • BirdyChat and Haiket are the first services to interoperate with WhatsApp, with integration expanding across Europe over the coming months.
  • European users will see a notice in WhatsApp Settings to enable the option, which is available on iOS and Android and can be turned off at any time.
  • One-to-one messaging supports text, images, videos, voice messages, and files, with group chats to follow when partner apps are ready.
  • Desktop, web, and tablet apps are not supported at launch, and access is limited to accounts registered in DMA-covered regions.
  • Third-party apps must meet WhatsApp’s encryption standards, and Meta cautions that external services may handle data differently from WhatsApp.