Ah, WhatsApp, the worldwide king of instant messaging apps. Yep, that's right, over 2 billion people use WhatsApp globally. However, if you live in North America, you might not know that because apps like iMessage and Facebook Messenger are more popular.
WhatsApp is constantly improving, and an exciting feature is getting set to roll out to all of our devices. WhatsApp calls it Third-Party Chats, and it will allow for chatting from WhatsApp to other instant messaging platforms.
WhatsApp Is Going To Support Third-Party Chats Soon
The European Union has been a thorn in the foot of many tech companies in recent years, forcing them to make drastic changes that make them more consumer-friendly. For instance, the iPhone 15 lineup only moved to USB-C because of the EU.
Thanks to the EU's Digital Markets Act, some companies are deemed as being “gatekeepers, ” meaning they need to make some significant changes in how they operate their platforms in Europe (I discussed this in more detail in another article). WhatsApp is one of those gatekeepers, and to stay in line with the new laws, they've been required to provide the option for chats with other messaging apps.
Of course, this has its benefits for consumers because it means you won't need to download a new messaging app if that's the one your friend uses, but it may indeed have some effects on the messaging experience. For instance, it'll be hard to guarantee security between platforms, and many features beyond basic messaging may not work.
You'll Be Able To Turn This Off Or Allow Only Some Apps
The good thing is that while WhatsApp has to provide the option, it isn't being forced on users. You can choose to turn it off and have things stay exactly the way they are, or you can select which other messaging apps you want to allow to communicate with your WhatsApp application.
This helps out if you don't want to receive constant spam from other platforms or if you don't want people you don't know to reach out to you from other applications. Messages from other apps will also go into their own inbox so that you don't mix things up. WhatsApp will always provide the best security when messages are being exchanged with someone else who is on WhatsApp.
The third-party applications that want to sync up with WhatsApp must agree with Meta's terms, so don't expect every chat app to work with WhatsApp right away. Since the same laws apply to Facebook Messenger, interested parties may be able to integrate their apps with two of the biggest chat platforms simultaneously.
This Feature Might Not Concern You If You're Not In Europe
This feature is rolling out due to the regulations enforced by the European Union, but for people outside that continent, you might not need to bother about this. Thanks to the folks at WABetaInfo, we've seen a screenshot that indicates this might only be a feature for people in the EU.
Third-party chats are offered to our European Region users as required by law.
So yeah, you don't need to worry about having this additional feature on WhatsApp in North America unless Meta decides it is a good idea.
