Remember when you had to juggle five different messaging apps just to talk to everyone? That headache might finally be ending for European users. According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a beta feature that lets users send and receive messages from people using other messaging apps, starting with BirdyChat. The change stems from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). This regulation requires large platforms like WhatsApp to play nice with rival messaging services if they want to keep operating in the region.
What you can do with third-party messaging
Once you enable it, you can exchange messages, images, videos, and voice notes with people outside of WhatsApp in a secure way. However, some advanced WhatsApp features won’t work in third-party chats yet. Status updates, stickers, and disappearing messages aren’t available for cross-platform conversations.
WhatsApp separates third-party chats from standard conversations. The app places them in a dedicated section at the top of your inbox. This makes it clear when you’re interacting with someone from a different messaging platform. Additionally, you can choose to combine all messages in one inbox if you prefer.
The feature is opt-in by default. This means nobody can contact you from other apps unless you explicitly enable it. Users can also manage which specific third-party apps get permission to communicate through WhatsApp. This gives you full control over who can reach you.
Which apps are supported
At launch, only BirdyChat works with the feature. WhatsApp doesn’t directly select which apps to integrate. Instead, third-party developers must meet strict security and encryption requirements before submitting an integration request. WhatsApp only approves apps that demonstrate equivalent security standards.
Other apps like Signal, Telegram, and Messenger should join as they adapt to DMA requirements in the coming months. Previously, the EU mandated that iMessage and WhatsApp work with smaller messenger apps, setting the stage for this rollout.
The feature currently remains limited to a beta rollout in EU regions. Outside Europe, this functionality won’t arrive anytime soon. According to WABetaInfo, wider availability will depend on how successfully WhatsApp and third-party apps navigate the technical challenges while maintaining end-to-end encryption across platforms.
