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WhatsApp Switches On EU Cross-App Messaging With Limited Rollout

The EU's Digital Markets Act compelled Meta to enable limited interoperability.

Overview

  • The opt-in feature is now live for EU users on iPhone and Android, with activation available in WhatsApp settings.
  • At launch, interoperability works only with Birdychat and Haiket and supports one-to-one chats rather than groups.
  • End-to-end encryption is maintained for message content, but Meta says it may collect metadata such as IP-based location, last-online time and usage duration.
  • Many WhatsApp features are missing in third-party chats, and desktop, web and tablet apps are not supported initially.
  • Eligibility depends on an EU-registered phone number, Signal and Threema are not participating, and Meta indicates more partners could follow.