Overview
- A limited test is live for selected iOS TestFlight and Android beta users in Europe, with an opt-in setting surfaced by a banner and a toggle under Account > Third-party Chats.
- The initial phase supports only one-to-one exchanges of texts, images, voice notes, videos, and files, excluding features like status updates, stickers, and disappearing messages.
- BirdyChat is the first interoperable partner, and additional apps must build a compatibility layer, sign an agreement with Meta, and meet security and encryption requirements.
- Signal and Threema have publicly declined to participate over privacy concerns, and WhatsApp’s notices indicate metadata about non-WhatsApp users may be collected during cross-app exchanges.
- WhatsApp has not announced a wider release or additional partners, and third-party messages can be funneled into a separate inbox or a combined inbox with user-controlled notifications.