WhatsApp, Messenger to allow messages from 3rd-party services in EU: Meta

Meta has announced that WhatsApp and Messenger will soon support messages from third-party services for users in the European Union. This change will allow users to manage third-party messages either in a combined inbox or in a separate folder.

In compliance with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), Meta is making WhatsApp and Messenger interoperable with other messaging apps. “We’ll continue to introduce new features, including group chats in 2025 and calling in 2027,” the company stated.

Users in Europe will be able to connect with individuals using third-party messaging services that opt for interoperability. Meta has introduced new notifications to inform users about these third-party chats and has designed an onboarding process to help users learn about and activate this feature.

Users can choose which third-party apps they want to receive messages from and how to manage these messages. Options include combining messages from all sources into one inbox or keeping them separate.

Meta will also incorporate rich messaging features such as reactions, direct replies, typing indicators, and read receipts. Future updates will include group creation by 2025 and voice/video calling by 2027, as per the DMA requirements.