Overview
- Meta says third‑party chats will begin rolling out across the European Region over the coming months, with an in‑app Settings notification guiding users on how to opt in.
- Initial interoperability is limited to iOS and Android and excludes desktops, web, and tablets, with access restricted to accounts registered to phone numbers in DMA‑covered regions.
- At launch, users who opt in can exchange messages, images, videos, voice messages, and files with supported apps, while group chats will arrive later when partners are ready.
- BirdyChat and Haiket are the first services to connect with WhatsApp, reflecting more than three years of work with European messaging providers and the European Commission.
- Participating apps must match WhatsApp’s end‑to‑end encryption standards, the feature remains optional and can be disabled, and users will be able to keep third‑party messages in a separate folder or a combined inbox.