WhatsApp third party chats in Europe what Meta interoperability really means

Meta is finally opening the doors of WhatsApp in Europe to outside messaging apps, introducing a feature it calls third party chats. The move is not just a new toggle in settings, but a direct response to the European Union Digital Markets Act, a sweeping law that forces so called gatekeeper platforms to become more open and interoperable. For hundreds of millions of WhatsApp users in the region, this means that conversations will no longer be limited only to contacts who also use WhatsApp. Instead, people will gradually gain the option to exchange messages with users on compatible third party apps, without leaving WhatsApp itself.

In practical terms, Meta is starting this new era of interoperability with two services, BirdyChat and Haiket. Over the coming months, WhatsApp users in the European region will be able to send and receive messages with people who choose those apps, while still enjoying a familiar interface. Meta stresses that this launch is the result of more than three years of work with European messaging providers and with the European Commission, all focused on finding a way to satisfy strict legal requirements without sacrificing the privacy and security protections that WhatsApp is known for.

Why Europe is forcing messaging apps to talk to each other

The Digital Markets Act is designed to stop the largest tech companies from locking users into closed ecosystems. In the messaging world, that lock in has been obvious for years. If your friends use one app and your family uses another, you have to juggle multiple services. With the DMA, the EU is pushing big messaging platforms to become interoperable so that users can choose an app based on features and values, not simply on the size of its existing network. Meta and WhatsApp are among the first major players to roll out a concrete implementation of these new obligations.

By offering third party chats, Meta is acknowledging that the messaging landscape in Europe will be increasingly open. Smaller players like BirdyChat and Haiket gain a real opportunity to reach users without having to convince them to abandon WhatsApp altogether. At the same time, regulators will be watching closely to see whether this interoperability works smoothly in the real world or merely exists as a hidden technical option that few people discover.

How third party chats work inside WhatsApp

The new feature is designed to feel familiar yet clearly labelled. When the rollout begins, users in the European region on both Android and iOS will see a notification in the WhatsApp settings area explaining that they can opt in to third party chats. The process is optional from start to finish. Nothing changes unless the user explicitly agrees to enable interoperability. Once they do, WhatsApp will allow them to exchange text messages, voice notes, images, videos and files with people who are using compatible apps such as BirdyChat and Haiket.

To avoid confusion, Meta wants the experience to be as clear and simple as possible. Users are informed that third party chats work slightly differently from regular WhatsApp conversations, even if they still appear within the same overall app. People will be reminded which chats are native WhatsApp threads and which involve external services, so they understand that some technical and policy guarantees may differ.

• Third party chats are an optional feature that users must actively enable.
• Once enabled, people can message contacts on supported external apps without leaving WhatsApp.
• Text, voice messages, photos, videos and files can flow across services when compatibility requirements are met.

Security and privacy under end to end encryption

One of the biggest concerns around interoperability is whether security and privacy will be watered down. Meta insists that its approach has been built around maintaining end to end encryption and other protections as far as possible. Third party messaging apps that want to connect into WhatsApp are required to use encryption that matches the strength of WhatsApp own end to end protocols. In other words, the messages should remain readable only to the sender and the recipient, not to Meta, not to the third party provider and not to outside observers.

Because Meta is opening the doors to external services, it has also set technical and procedural conditions that partners must meet before they are allowed to plug in. While Meta cannot control every design decision that a third party makes, the company emphasises that it will only support connections that respect key security standards. This balance between openness and protection is at the heart of the DMA and is central to Meta public explanation of how third party chats will work.

Who gets access and how to turn it on or off

The new capability is limited to the European region in order to comply directly with the DMA obligations. Users in the EU and associated European markets will gradually see the option appear, while accounts registered in other parts of the world will not have access for now. Both Android and iOS users are covered, ensuring that the vast majority of WhatsApp audience in Europe can participate once the rollout hits their devices.

Crucially, interoperability is not a permanent switch that people are stuck with after testing it once. Meta highlights that users remain in control at every stage. They can decide not to enable third party chats at all, or turn the feature off again later if they no longer want to receive messages from external apps. This opt in and opt out model aims to respect user choice while still satisfying the legal requirement to make interoperability available.

What this could change for messaging in Europe

The arrival of third party chats in WhatsApp may end up being one of the most visible consequences of the Digital Markets Act for everyday users. On paper, it gives people more flexibility, reduces service lock in and creates space for smaller messaging apps to innovate without being excluded from the largest networks. If the model proves successful, it could encourage other big platforms to adopt similar approaches, even outside Europe.

At the same time, this is still an experiment at scale. Meta is attempting to blend strong encryption, regulatory compliance and user friendly design in a single feature. Early partners like BirdyChat and Haiket will help test how well the system works in practice and whether people in the EU truly embrace cross app messaging. For now, WhatsApp third party chats mark an important shift away from closed silos and towards a more open, user centric messaging ecosystem.