- Open WhatsApp and go to Settings > Account > Third-party chats
- Toggle on “Third-party chat support”
- Review the warnings about potential spam/scams and data handling differences
- Proceed to the “Selected apps” option
You then choose which specific third-party messaging apps you want to interconnect with, After that, a new “Third-Party Chats” section will appear at the top of your WhatsApp chat list. To use the integration, open a new chat window as normal. If chatting with a contact that uses a third-party app you’ve enabled, their chat will appear in the “Third-Party Chats” section.
With the feature opted-in, do take note that WhatsApp will display prominent warnings of third-party chats being more susceptible to scams, spam, and different data handling practices. At least, compared to WhatsApp’s famously encrypted environment.
While it can sound a bit suspicious (from a business perspective), it at least remains consistent with the app upholding its security standards, even if begrudgingly so due to government-mandated openness.
Known Limitations
As mentioned earlier, the new “Third-Party Chats” section will appear at the top of their WhatsApp chat list, separating these external conversations from native WhatsApp chats. Related leaked information also indicates that other apps will be able to look up WhatsApp users by their phone numbers, though user names and profile pictures won’t be shared.
The focus of the update also seems to be on basic text messaging and media-sharing capabilities only. More advanced WhatsApp features like disappearing messages, stickers, emoji reactions, and group chat functions are expected to be limited or unavailable for interoperability chats at launch.
A Regulatory Directive
The European Commission’s groundbreaking Digital Markets Act is the driving force behind WhatsApp “changing its mind” on third-party integration. After deeming Meta’s messaging service a gatekeeper platform with outsized market power, regulators mandated greater openness and interoperability with smaller rivals. Hence, the compliance of the app via multi-app integration.
This follows a similar trajectory for Apple, which was compelled to allow third-party app stores and loosened browser engine restrictions for web browsing apps on iOS in Europe.
While WhatsApp has stated this third-party support will be exclusive to the European region for now, other markets with robust tech regulation could follow suit. The implications could reshape the currently fragmented landscape for apps focused on communication and interaction, which has long since been kept to their own by their respective companies.
Purists may lament the compromises, but regulators see unrestricted interoperability as critical for fair competition and consumer choice. Which I believe we all can indeed agree on.
