According to Thurrott.com, Meta is making WhatsApp interoperable with two other messaging apps—BirdyChat and Haiket—specifically for users in the European Union. This move is a direct response to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which mandates that large messaging platforms open up. The company has built a new system that will maintain WhatsApp’s signature end-to-end encryption for these cross-app conversations. EU users on both Android and iOS will be able to opt-in to share messages, images, voice messages, videos, and files with people on these other services. The ability to create groups with third-party app users will be added later, once the partner apps are ready. The feature is expected to roll out in the coming months, and WhatsApp will notify users when it’s available.
The Real Deal
So here’s the thing—this isn’t some voluntary act of openness from Meta. They’re being forced to do this, and honestly, that matters. The DMA is basically the EU’s way of saying “you’re too big, now you have to play nice with others.” And while interoperability sounds great in theory, the execution is what will make or break it. Meta built this whole third-party chat system from scratch, which tells you they’re taking the security requirements seriously. But let’s be real—how many people have even heard of BirdyChat or Haiket? These aren’t exactly household names.
Security Concerns
Now, the encryption part is crucial. The DMA requires any interoperable app to use the same level of end-to-end encryption as WhatsApp. That’s non-negotiable. But here’s my question: what happens when a less reputable app wants to join this party? The system is designed to be secure, but every new connection point is a potential vulnerability. Meta says users have to explicitly opt-in to third-party chats, which is smart—it puts the security decision in users’ hands. But will people actually understand what they’re opting into? Probably not.
The Bigger Picture
Look, the real story here isn’t about these two small apps. It’s about whether the big players will join. Signal, Telegram, iMessage—these are the apps that would actually make interoperability meaningful. But they’ve got their own encryption standards and privacy philosophies. Signal in particular has been pretty vocal about its security model. Will they be willing to integrate with Meta’s system? That’s the billion-dollar question. If they don’t, this whole interoperability push might just fizzle into irrelevance. The EU is forcing the door open, but that doesn’t mean anyone important will walk through it.
What Comes Next
Basically, we’re about to see a real-world test of whether forced interoperability actually works. The feature will roll out gradually, and users can find more details on WhatsApp’s support page when it launches. Meta’s official announcement on their news site frames this as giving users more choice, which is technically true. But let’s not forget—this is compliance, not charity. The success of this entire experiment depends on whether users actually want to message across apps and whether bigger platforms decide to participate. My bet? This is going to be a much slower, messier process than regulators probably imagined.
