WhatsApp’s Third-Party Chats: What Changes for Users in Europe

WhatsApp is testing a “third party chats” feature in Europe that would let users message people on other apps without leaving WhatsApp. The move is aimed at meeting the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires dominant platforms to open up and enable interoperability. Below, we unpack how the feature works, what it supports, the user controls, and the practical trade-offs for privacy and everyday use.

How Third-Party Chats Appear In WhatsApp

Users who get the beta will find the option under Settings > Account > Third-party chats. The feature is opt-in: you won’t start receiving cross-platform messages unless you enable it.

Once turned on, users can choose how they want those messages surfaced—either integrated into the main chat list or separated into a dedicated “third-party chats” inbox. You can also control notifications, media upload quality, and in-app alerts for these conversations.

As per reports, interoperability will support core messaging types: text, photos, videos, voice messages and documents. That means day-to-day conversations — sending a photo, sharing a document, or leaving a voice note — should work much like a normal WhatsApp chat.

However, several WhatsApp features may not carry over to third-party chats. Expect limitations on elements such as status updates, stickers and disappearing messages. These gaps will shape how people use cross-platform chats: for straightforward messaging and file sharing, the experience will be close to native; for feature-rich WhatsApp interactions, it will be constrained.

The rollout starts with a small set of partners. The only app supported by WhatsApp's interoperability feature is BirdyChat. Third-party developers will have to request integration and meet WhatsApp’s security and encryption requirements to be accepted.

In short: WhatsApp doesn’t pick apps at random. Third-party services must apply and demonstrate they can meet the technical and security bar WhatsApp requires. That gatekeeping is intended to limit risk, but it also means interoperability will grow incrementally rather than instantly covering the wider messaging ecosystem.

User Controls, Privacy Trade-Offs, And Blocking

WhatsApp’s implementation is opt-in and offers inbox and notification controls so users can reduce friction and spam. But there are real trade-offs to consider:

• Your phone number can be used by eligible third-party apps to contact you, even if other personal details remain private.

• Some advanced WhatsApp features may not work in a third-party chat.

• A notable caveat: users who have blocked someone on WhatsApp may still be reachable by that person via a third-party app connection.

Those limits mean interoperability can improve convenience while creating new vectors for unwanted contact and varied data handling by external apps. Users will need to balance convenience against these privacy and control considerations.

Where Cross-App Chat Helps — And Where It Won’t

Practical scenarios where third-party chats make sense:

• Family and friends who use different apps: Send photos or quick voice notes without asking contacts to switch platforms.

• Small businesses and local services: One inbox for messages from customers who prefer different apps.

• Cross-platform groups (future rollouts): Once partner support group functionality, communities spanning apps could coordinate more easily.

Where it’s less useful right now:

• Rich, ephemeral interactions that rely on disappearing messages or stickers.

• High-security use cases where different apps’ data policies introduce uncertainty.

DMA, Competition, And User Experience

The Digital Markets Act aims to reduce lock-in by requiring dominant “gatekeepers” to interoperate with rivals. For WhatsApp users in Europe, interoperability promises convenience and choice: you won’t have to juggle apps to reach people.

At the same time, interoperability raises practical and privacy questions: how encryption and security standards will be enforced across apps, whether blocked contacts can be truly blocked, and how user control will be preserved as more services join. The initial rollout—opt-in, partner-limited, and feature-restricted—reflects a cautious approach intended to balance the DMA’s intent with WhatsApp’s privacy posture.

Third-party chats mark a significant step toward cross-platform messaging. For everyday users, the change should simplify reaching contacts across apps for basic communication. But expect incremental adoption, feature limits, and a need for careful user settings, especially around privacy and blocking. As more third-party apps pursue integration, the experience will evolve; for now, the feature is a practical, controlled response to regulatory pressure rather than a full replacement for native WhatsApp functionality.