WhatsApp to Introduce Third Party Chats Support

Meta-owned instant messaging platform WhatsApp is soon going to offer cross-platform messaging. Support for third-party chats will allow people to use a different messaging platform to text users on WhatsApp. Meta has said that the feature will be opt-in to prevent users from getting spammed on the service. WhatsApp’s launch of cross-platform messaging feature comes ahead of the EU’s Digital Market Act (DMA) deadline of March 6.

WhatsApp engineering director Dick Brouwer told Wired Confirmed WhatsApp said that when the upcoming chat interoperability is rolled out, users will be able to send messages with a variety of attachments. Users will see a new “Third Party Chat” section at the top of their chat list that will give them information about messages coming from users on other platforms and keep them separate from chats protected by WhatsApp’s E2EE encryption.

WhatsApp users can encrypt and send messages using the open source Signal Protocol, and connect to Meta’s proprietary chat platform to send and receive messages. Brouwer said WhatsApp is documenting its own client-server protocol that would allow its clients from other chat services to connect directly to WhatsApp’s servers and send messages to users across platforms.

If companies do not want to follow this process, they will have to show that their encryption protocols match WhatsApp’s security standards or use a less secure “proxy” that communicates with their service. According to the report, many popular messaging platforms have not confirmed whether they have partnered with WhatsApp to add support for third-party chats.

The report says that normal SMS messages will not support third party chat features. Let us tell you that calling and group chat on chat platforms other than normal chat will not be available this year. Brouwer also said that features on WhatsApp chat will be developed at a different speed than third party chat. To prevent spam and scams, users will also have to choose the option of receiving chat from third party platforms.