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WhatsApp has been converted and you will no longer need to have an account with them, and you will be able to talk from other apps.

WhatsApp has been converted and you will no longer need to have an account with them, and you will be able to talk from other apps.

WhatsApp will allow users to have contacts from other apps in one place. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic)
WhatsApp will allow its users to communicate with people who use other apps like Telegram or Signal, without both having to have an account on the same platform. The shift is a result of the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires big tech companies to allow interoperability between their services and those of third parties.

This tool will help users to have better integration with their contacts from other apps, Make everything more flexible and simple in one place.

The main function of this change will be the ability to send and receive messages from other messaging apps without leaving WhatsApp. For example, If a WhatsApp user wants to send a message to someone who uses Telegram, they can do so without both having accounts on the same platform.

As Meta revealed on its official blog, this new tool will be called “Third-Party Conversations” and will appear as a new section in WhatsApp users’ inboxes. The company has been developing this feature for six months, Design a simple and accessible user experience, and collaborate with various stakeholders, including potential messaging partners, to ensure effective implementation.

WhatsApp will allow users to have contacts from other apps in one place. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File)
WhatsApp will allow users to have contacts from other apps in one place. (Reuters/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File)

A key concern while developing this functionality was to ensure that the interoperability option was easy for users to find and use. As such, WhatsApp and Messenger, the other meta-messaging platform affected by this regulation, We have included notifications to inform users when a new third-party messaging app is available for connection.

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Additionally, Meta has developed an onboarding process that allows users to learn more about how third-party chats work and activate the feature if they wish. Users will have the ability to choose which apps they want to receive messages from and how they prefer to manage their inbox.

This customization will allow users to decide whether they prefer to keep messages from other apps in a separate inbox or if they want to merge all chats into one inbox.

The main advantage of this tool is that users will be able to change these settings at any time. That is, if they ever decide they would prefer to separate or merge messages from other apps, they can easily do so through the configuration options.

WhatsApp will allow users to have contacts from other apps in one place. (Zachary Schurer/dpa – archive)
WhatsApp will allow users to have contacts from other apps in one place. (Zachary Schurer/dpa – archive)

While the Digital Markets Act only requires basic interoperability between messaging apps, Meta has gone further by including advanced features that enrich the user experience. These include:

  • Reactions to messages– Users will be able to reply to third-party messages as they would in any other WhatsApp chat.
  • Direct answersIt will be possible to reply directly to specific messages, improving the organization of conversations.
  • Writing prompts– Users will be able to know when someone on another platform is typing a message.
  • Read receipts– Notifications indicating when the recipient has read the message will remain.

In 2025, Meta plans to expand interoperability to include group chats and, In 2027, voice and video calls will be implemented between different messaging applications.

WhatsApp will allow users to have contacts from other apps in one place. (Image caption)
WhatsApp will allow users to have contacts from other apps in one place. (Image caption)

WhatsApp’s interoperability will be optional, so users will be able to choose whether they want to activate it or not. However, those who decide to try out this new functionality will start seeing the third-party chat option in their inboxes once third-party messaging services build, test, and release the technology necessary to ensure a positive user experience.

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Meta is already implementing this feature in Europe.However, the company acknowledged on its official blog that this process may take longer before the feature is fully ready for widespread public use, so the entire process will be gradual.