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
here's how it will look Ians / Latest Odisha News, Breaking News Today : WhatsApp, Messenger to allow messages from 3rd-party services in EU: Meta Dwaipayan Roy / NewsBytes : WhatsApp will soon allow sending messages to Telegram, Signal Vaishali Prayag / Benzinga : Meta Updates On Third-Party Chat Integration For WhatsApp And Messenger In Europe Karandeep Singh Oberoi / Android Police : Meta details its future plans for WhatsApp and Messenger's interoperability with third-party messaging apps Andy Lalwani / What's Trending : Meta Plans Third-Party Integration for WhatsApp and Messenger by 2027 Amid DMA Compliance Efforts Emiko Matsui / Huawei Central : WhatsApp to introduce a call-link shortcut for group chats Threads: @ninumedia : Our team just launched Interoperability for Messenger! This has been a 2yr+ effort and super thankful to my colleague Sara Su as we've tackled it together! https://techcrunch.com/... Mastodon: Rowan Johnson / @rowan_johnson@mastodon.social : This is great. Openness and interoperability are such great benefits to any platform, at least as a user. I don't want to be forced to use an app, platform or service just because it's the most popular. I want to use one that works for me and fits my needs. I hope we get this in the UK eventually. … @BalooUriza@social.tulsa.ok.us : @Techmeme I believe this will likely use XMPP since you can already connect to FB chat with most XMPP clients X: @gateklons : @1Br0wn Wow! This is amazing and what should've been required in the first place by the DMA itself. This interoperability thing might actually work. What I don't understand is why. Ian Brown / @1br0wn : Good to see @BERECeuropaeu's Opinion on the WhatsApp reference offer being followed on issues such as an optional unified WhatsApp/competitor message inbox 📥 Ian Brown / @1br0wn : Meta has gone ‘beyond the “basic” features required for interoperable messaging under #DMA, and we will provide rich messaging features such as reactions, direct replies, typing indicators, and read receipts.’ 👏 Now for Messenger as well as WhatsApp! https://about.fb.com/... Forums: Hacker News : Meta will let third-party apps place calls to WhatsApp and Messenger users r/technews : Meta will let third-party apps place calls to WhatsApp and Messenger users — in 2027 r/technology : Meta will let third-party apps place calls to WhatsApp and Messenger users — in 2027
Context & Ripple Effects
Meta’s EU messaging-interoperability work had already been framed as DMA compliance, with an earlier account saying third parties would need to use the Signal protocol that Meta uses for encryption the protocol requirement for third-party messaging. This update turns that technical direction into a staged feature roadmap.
The plan also builds on Meta’s proposal to make third-party conversations opt-in and keep them in a separate inbox an opt-in, separate-inbox design. That design matters because interoperability can expand reach without making external services indistinguishable from Meta’s own apps.
First-order effects
- Meta gives EU third-party messaging providers a clearer sequence for access: messaging interoperability first, group chats targeted for 2025, and voice and video calling for 2027.
- WhatsApp and Messenger users in the EU are the immediate intended audience for cross-service communications, while Meta must implement the features within its DMA compliance program.
Second-order effects
- Third-party services seeking compatibility must adapt to Meta’s interoperability and encryption requirements, making technical integration—not simply user demand—a gate to participation.
- A separate, opt-in inbox can limit how much cross-network messaging changes default behavior, preserving Meta’s control over its primary WhatsApp and Messenger experiences even as connections open.
Third-order effects
- If staged interoperability becomes operational, messaging competition in the EU may shift somewhat from network size alone toward privacy, product quality, and the ease of switching between services.
- The long rollout to calls illustrates that regulated openness in communications networks is likely to be negotiated feature by feature, with security and user-experience design shaping the practical scope of access.
The trend: DMA-driven interoperability is testing whether large messaging networks can be opened gradually while platforms retain control over security, consent, and core user interfaces.