The new function of interoperability between messaging apps It's here, and it promises to completely change the way we use WhatsApp, Telegram, and other apps. For the first time, you'll be able to receive WhatsApp messages sent from other apps without installing anything extra or forcing your contacts to use the same app as you.
Although it sounds like science fiction, it is a legal obligation imposed by the European Union And it's not just a whim of Meta's. There's a catch: it will only be available in Europe, it will have to be manually activated, not all apps will be compatible from the start, and there are important privacy and security implications that you should be aware of before changing any settings.
What is chat interoperability between messaging apps?
When we talk about interoperability in this context, we are referring to the ability for different messaging applications to understand each otherSimilar to how it works with email: it doesn't matter if you use Gmail, Outlook or any other service, you can write to anyone as long as you have their address.
Applied to WhatsApp, this means that You will be able to send and receive messages with people who use other apps without them having to install WhatsApp and without you having to install their app. Everything is managed from your own WhatsApp account, which becomes a kind of "bridge" between different messaging networks.
Until now, each service functioned as a island completely closedIf you wanted to talk to someone on Telegram (for example, you can Activate invisible mode in TelegramYou needed a Telegram account; if that person was on Signal, you had to register there too. Interoperability breaks that mold and opens the door to a much more flexible environment where each user can choose their preferred app without being so tied to where their contacts are.
However, for the moment this opening is partial: interoperability is focused first on individual chats with basic functions (text, images, videos, voice notes, files), leaving more complex things like interoperable groups or cross-platform calls and video calls for later.
Why is WhatsApp required to interoperate with other apps?
This whole movement stems from European Union Digital Markets Law, known as the DMA (Digital Markets Act). This legislation has been in the works for some time and is designed to limit the power of large technology platforms that act as "gatekeepers" to the digital market.
The law identifies certain services with a huge user base and a key role as gatekeepers, or access guardiansWhatsApp, owned by Meta, falls squarely into that category due to its massive penetration: it boasts over 3.000 billion users worldwide, making it the dominant messaging app, far ahead of rivals like Telegram or Signal.
As a gatekeeper, WhatsApp has to fulfill a number of additional obligations. One of the most important is precisely this. open your service so that it can communicate with competing applicationsThe idea is simple: that the user should not be held hostage by a single platform just because that's where most of their contacts are.
Therefore, interoperability is not a friendly strategy by Meta to curry favor, but a legal imposition with specific deadlinesIn fact, the regulations set deadlines for different levels of interoperability, starting with individual messages and ending, years later, with group calls and video calls between different services.
Geographic availability and deployment schedule
The first thing you need to understand is that this function This only applies to users in the European UnionIf your number or account is not considered to be within the European area, the third-party chats option will not even appear in your WhatsApp settings.
Furthermore, the implementation is being done in a progressive and phasedboth in terms of features and dates. Broadly speaking, the schedule set by the regulations and WhatsApp's own communications is as follows:
- Since March 2024: first phase of interoperability for text messages and basic content between individual users from different messaging apps.
- Until September 2025: is expanded to include messages in interoperable groupsallowing a group to have members from different platforms.
- Until September 2027The obligation also extends to calls and video calls, including group callsHowever, its actual deployment will depend on what each app implements and the technical agreements they reach.
WhatsApp has indicated that, in practice, the New options will gradually appear These features will be available in the Settings menu over the next few years, and it will be up to the user to decide whether to activate them or not. Don't expect everything to be available overnight or for all the most advanced features to arrive at once.
Which apps are compatible with WhatsApp interoperability?
A very common question is which applications are currently interoperable. As of today, the first to jump on the bandwagon are: BirdyChat and Haiket, two European courier services that are fairly unknown to the general public, but which meet the necessary technical and legal requirements.
On many mobile phones, when you go into the interoperability section, you'll see that The only external app that appears on the list is BirdyChatHaiket is mentioned in some initial announcements, but the onboarding rate may vary and not all accounts are seeing the same thing yet.
It is important to understand that Telegram, Signal, iMessage, and other popular apps are not yet required to be so. Because of the DMA, they are not considered access gatekeepers and therefore must be interoperable. They can choose to join voluntarily, but they do not face the same level of regulatory pressure as WhatsApp.
This means that, even though WhatsApp already has its infrastructure ready, You won't be able to write to all your Telegram or Signal contacts as soon as the option appears.You will only be able to communicate with users of applications that have correctly implemented interoperability and have signed the appropriate agreements with Meta.
How WhatsApp interoperability works internally
In theory the concept is simple: if Two messaging applications support the required interoperability standardsIts users can communicate with each other without leaving their usual app. In practice, there are quite a few technical and design nuances.
On the WhatsApp side, interoperability is achieved through the function of “third-party chats” or “messages with third-party apps”When you activate it, your WhatsApp account is enabled to receive communications from other platforms and, if you choose, to also send messages to those apps.
Messages that travel from WhatsApp to another service leave your application with active end-to-end encryption during transitIn other words, Meta cannot read the content while the message is in transit between servers. However, once the message reaches the other application, the actual protection will depend on... how that target platform handles encryption and security.
The same applies in reverse: if another app sends you an interoperable message to your WhatsApp account, it must meet the technical requirements set by Meta to enter its network. From there, it is decrypted only on your device, preserving WhatsApp's E2EE encryption model within its responsibility.
For users, WhatsApp has decided that interoperable conversations appear in a separate sectionThis way, you'll always know when you're chatting with someone connecting from an external app and you can manage it separately from your regular WhatsApp chats.
Inbox options for third-party chats
Within the settings options, WhatsApp allows you to choose How do you want messages received from other apps to be displayed?It's not just a visual detail: it affects how you organize your day-to-day life with the app.
In general, you will have two main modes:
- Combination trayThis feature combines your regular WhatsApp chats with conversations from external apps into a single list. You'll see everything on the same screen, with some indication of which chats are from third parties, but without separate folders.
- Separate trayCreate a separate section or folder within your inbox where the interoperable chatsThis way you keep your "native" WhatsApp conversations on one hand and those from other apps on the other.
This last option is recommended if you want to have a larger Control over who messages you from outside of WhatsApp and avoid mixing everything, especially if you fear spam or contacts you only know superficially from other platforms.
How to enable chats with third-party apps in WhatsApp
Interoperability is not enabled by default: for security reasons and to prevent you from being flooded with spam, WhatsApp leaves it disabled by defaultIt is up to you to decide whether you want to enable it and at what level of openness.
First of all, make sure you have the WhatsApp app updated to the latest version and consider Block WhatsApp with your fingerprint to protect your chats. The rollout has started in beta and is gradually expanding to the stable version, so it may take some time to see the options, even if you're in the European Union.
When the feature is available in your account, the general steps to activate it are as follows:
- Open WhatsApp and enter the menu Settings or Configuration.
- Go to section Account.
- Inside, look for the section called Third-party chats or similar (in some cases you will first see “Third-party chat requests”).
- Activate the option “Third-party chat requests” to allow other apps to send you a contact request.
During the process, WhatsApp will show you a fairly clear explanation of what activating this feature entails, including a warning that Third-party applications may have different data and security policies to those on WhatsApp.
If you decide to proceed and click on activate, you will reach another screen where you can choose the specific applications you want to interoperate withIn this first stage, it is usual that only BirdyChat appears on the list, although more compatible services will be added over time.
After selecting the allowed apps, the settings will ask you to choose whether you want a combined or separate inbox for external chats It will also give you some additional options, such as who can add you to interoperable groups. Once finished, you'll have a brief summary of what you've activated, which you can modify at any time from the same settings.
Privacy, encryption, and risks when enabling interoperability
The big concern surrounding all of this is what happens to the privacy and end-to-end encryptionwhich have been one of WhatsApp's main selling points for years. The DMA requires that the existing level of security not be reduced, so there are several strict requirements in place.
In essence, WhatsApp insists that It will not lower its encryption standard.To integrate correctly, external applications must adopt the Signal communication protocol or an equivalent system that meets a series of technical requirements. Meta cannot access the content of interoperable messages in transit, just as it cannot access regular WhatsApp chats.
However, it's important to understand that the total security of an interoperable conversation It depends on the two platforms involved.If the other app has equal or stronger encryption, your privacy level will remain very high. However, if its encryption is weaker or its implementation is poor, some of your content might be more exposed on that side.
In addition to this, there are other risks and side effects that should be considered before activating the third-party chat function:
- Potential increase in spam and scamsBy opening the door to external networks, it becomes easier for less restrictive platforms to serve as the source of spam messages that end up landing in your WhatsApp inbox.
- Divergent privacy policiesIn a single interoperable conversation, you are subject to both WhatsApp's and the other app's policies. Meta cannot control what the other company does with your metadata or how it stores messages on its servers.
- Risk of impersonation and phishingIt will be more complicated to verify with complete certainty who is behind a contact that comes to you from an external platform, since identity and verification systems are not identical between apps.
- New potential technical gapsThe "channel" that connects WhatsApp to other applications is a new attack surface. A flaw in the encryption implementation of the third-party app could open doors to intercepting messages or metadata.
- More limited user experienceAdvanced WhatsApp features, such as animated stickers, certain types of reactions or statuses, may not be available or may function in a limited way when you talk to someone from another platform.
Another important nuance is that Blocking a contact on WhatsApp does not automatically apply to other apps.If you block someone on WhatsApp but that same person also has an account on another app that you've connected to your WhatsApp, they could use that external app to message you again on your WhatsApp number through interoperability.
Current limitations and future of interoperability
Despite how revolutionary this innovation may seem, the truth is that we are still in a fairly basic and limited phaseCurrently, interoperability focuses on one-to-one chats, with the sending of text, photos, videos, voice notes, and documents, and with very few compatible apps.
It is not guaranteed that All the major messaging apps want to get in on the action.Some may see competitive advantages in remaining closed, while others will value the technical and legal effort involved in integrating into the WhatsApp ecosystem. Furthermore, there is currently no obligation for services like Telegram or Signal to offer full interoperability in the other direction.
On the other hand, WhatsApp's dominant position itself means that it will be difficult for him to lose his "throne" in the short and medium termMany users continue using it because it's the app their parents, friends, or work groups use, and they don't see much benefit in switching. Interoperability, in theory, should facilitate this change, but social inertia and convenience carry significant weight.
As the DMA deadlines for interoperable group, voice, and video calls approach, we'll see if platforms choose to expand this openness or simply do the bare minimum. What does seem clear is that, For the first time, the walls separating the different messaging apps are beginning to crack. and users gain some real choice.
All this change represents a small, silent revolution in the way we communicate: WhatsApp is no longer a completely closed silo And it becomes just one more piece of a larger ecosystem where different apps can communicate with each other. From now on, the key will be how users manage the third-party chat function, which applications they grant access to, how they balance convenience and privacy, and what role they want WhatsApp to play in their daily digital lives. Share the information so that more users can learn about the topic.
