WhatsApp is testing a way to message people on other apps, but it has a huge caveat that could be enough to disappoint many of the app’s users. The feature is beta and, by the looks of it, more designed to appease new European rules than free up a global free-for-all — according to Android Police, which reported on WABetaInfo’s findings, it’s already been spotted in testing. In other words, interoperability is on the way, but for Europe at least there’s a catch.
What Is Cross‑App Messaging and How It Works
Interoperability would allow a third‑party service’s app to send a message that lands inside WhatsApp, so you don’t have to use several apps to keep talking. Early peeks at this feature indicate that those third‑party chats will live in a separate, obviously labeled inbox inside of WhatsApp — a thoughtful way to reduce confusion and keep spam out. The company has long said that it championed end‑to‑end encryption, and any cross‑app pathway would be expected to keep those commitments or articulate new safeguards.
The Big Catch: Regional and Feature Restrictions
The beta suggests a limited rollout: availability in certain European markets at first and partner apps announced off the bat. WABetaInfo observed that so far it was only one preview integration — BirdyChat — pointing to how early days all of this is. For now, however, the rest of the world might want to temper its expectations. There is also nothing in the current test that indicates an imminent global switch‑on.
There’s also the functionality gap. Interoperability generally starts with the basics — one‑to‑one texts and perhaps photos before expanding to group chats, calls, reactions, stickers, stories (narrated posts), and more. Expect to see incremental gains rather than full feature parity right from the start, because each of those additional capabilities would make security and compatibility problems multiply through a contact list.
Why the EU Is Mandating Interoperability
The nudge comes courtesy of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, a sweeping competition rulebook aimed at “gatekeeper” platforms. Those services that reach at least 45 million monthly active users in the EU are subject to more stringent obligations, such as making some of their core features — such as messaging — interoperable with competitors. The fines for noncompliance that the European Commission can impose on companies go up to 10 percent of a company’s global turnover, and rise to 20 percent if companies repeatedly breach their commitments.
Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, is among tech giants remaking products to conform. We’ve already seen competitors change app stores, browser defaults, and payment rules under the DMA. Messaging is the next domino: this law is designed to lower barriers and reduce lock‑in, so that people can reach each other no matter which app they chose years ago.
Security and Abuse Risks Are in the Forefront
Interoperability might seem easy, but a secure implementation is very difficult. If it allows messages from external networks, WhatsApp must ensure that the encryption is strong end‑to‑end, contact impersonation is minimized, and spam or phishing does not suddenly increase. Privacy groups have long warned that opening up gated systems can introduce new sources of attack if standards are ill‑defined and enforcement is lax.
WhatsApp has previously indicated it will need users to opt in if third‑party chats are to be kept in separate silos. Such design decisions help to minimize exposure when a connected service mishandles encryption or metadata. It also hands users a visible control: you can opt to accept messages from outside the WhatsApp ecosystem at all.
What This Means for Users and Rivals in Europe
For Europeans, this could cut the “Which app are you on?” dance — particularly in mixed groups where some folks have niche messengers. For the rest of us, not so much yet. WhatsApp, which counts more than 2 billion users across the world, has all the reason to tread carefully when deploying a feature that claims to be secure and not degrade the main experience for which it exists.
The choice for competitors: either plug in and secure reach into WhatsApp’s massive user base or stay shut away and get left on the margins of markets where the DMA takes hold. Over the next few months, we’ll get more clarity on what services plug in first, which technical standards win out, and how quickly features like group messaging join the party.
Bottom line: Cross‑app messaging on WhatsApp exists, but the initial incarnation is focused, opt‑in, and EU‑led. If you’re outside Europe, you may be waiting — and watching — as the EU trials become litmus tests that other countries might eventually follow.