WhatsApp will soon include a new feature called “third-party chats”, which will make it possible for users of other chat apps, such as Signal or Telegram, to send messages to WhatsApp users without creating a WhatsApp account.
WhatsApp was forced to test the function and get it ready before March 2024 to comply with the new European law on digital markets (DMA).
A key principle of the DMA is that “gatekeepers” are prohibited from favoring their own services and must allow integration with other chat apps.
This will allow users of other chat apps to contact people on WhatsApp even if they don’t have a WhatsApp account.
Europe announced in July that the seven tech giants – Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok owner ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft and Samsung – must comply with all the new digital rules.
