WhatsApp to Enable Messaging Interoperability With Two Other Apps in the EU

Meta announced today that it will soon enable messaging interoperability in WhatsApp for EU users. The company is making this change to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the company a built a third-party interoperability system that will maintain end-to-end encryption.

“The DMA requires Meta to give people using WhatsApp in Europe the option to connect with people using third-party messaging services that have chosen to make their apps interoperable,” the company said yesterday. “WhatsApp users in Europe, who have opted in to the experience across Android and iOS, will be able to share messages, images, voice messages, videos and files.”

BirdyChat and Haiket are the first third-party messaging apps that have partnered with WhatsApp to support messaging interoperability in the EU. These two apps use the same level of end-to-end encryption as WhatsApp, which is one of the DMA’s requirements to protect user security and privacy.

WhatsApp users in the EU will have the choice to enable third-party chats with these two apps on and off at any time. “The option to create groups with third-party users will become available once our partners are ready to support this,” Meta also said yesterday.

Messaging interoperability will become available for WhatsApp users in the EU in the coming months. The app will notify users once the feature is available, and there are more details on how to enable third-party chats on this support page. It remains to be seen if high-profile apps like Signal will get on board, however.