Meta details its plans for WhatsApp and Messenger interoperability with third-party apps in the EU, with group chats in 2025 and voice and video calling in 2027
Meta on Friday published an update on how it plans to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), the European law that aims …
Context & Ripple Effects
Earlier DMA coverage framed Meta's approach as opt-in third-party chats kept in a separate inbox, rather than a wholesale merger of messaging services; this update turns that design into a staged feature roadmap. Meta had also said outside providers would need to use the Signal protocol requirement for third-party interoperability, tying access to its established encryption approach.
The significance is the move beyond basic third-party messaging: group conversations and real-time calling are core communications features. The plan therefore tests whether regulated interoperability can extend into richer product surfaces without changing WhatsApp and Messenger into fully open networks.
First-order effects
- Meta must prepare EU-facing WhatsApp and Messenger interoperability for group chats in 2025, followed by voice and video calling in 2027.
- Third-party messaging apps seeking access will have a clearer feature sequence, while still operating within Meta's stated Signal-protocol condition.
Second-order effects
- Third-party apps can prioritize compatibility work around the staged rollout, rather than treating interoperability as limited to one-to-one text exchanges.
- The earlier opt-in, separate-inbox design may limit immediate disruption to Meta's primary chat experience, but richer group and calling support raises the practical value of participating for users and smaller messaging providers.
Third-order effects
- If the staged features are delivered, the DMA will be testing whether a large messaging platform can be required to expose progressively more complex communication functions while retaining its security and product controls.
- The broader structural question is whether interoperability becomes a durable competitive channel for European messaging services or remains a narrowly used, opt-in compliance layer; adoption by third-party apps will determine that outcome.
The trend: This is part of a shift from regulating platform access in principle to requiring usable interoperability across the high-value features that make communication networks hard to leave.