WhatsApp is going to look completely different in the near future. The messaging app is becoming available to third parties as a result of the Digital Markets Act, which will go into effect in the EU in March 2024. Furthermore, a recent analysis indicates that it will happen sooner than most analysts had predicted.

Although the DMA was expected to arrive in early March, WhatsApp had not provided an exact date for compliance. WhatsApp was deemed a gatekeeper app in the DMA, which required it to be transparent due to its considerable influence. This was taken to suggest that distinct inboxes for various messaging apps will be added by the app.

Therefore, WhatsApp had to have the feature to allow the message to appear in WhatsApp if someone was texting you via Messenger, Signal, or even Apple iMessage. Happiness! You won’t have to strain your memory to recall which service your pals favor—it will all happen automatically on WhatsApp.

“The Digital Markets Act (DMA) targets large tech companies who heavily influence the digital market, requiring them to facilitate user communication across multiple apps. Since it is required by law, WhatsApp must offer support for third-party chats to their European Region users. Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for Android 2.24.5.18 update, which is available on the Google Play Store, we discovered that WhatsApp is working on the chat interoperability feature!”

That’s particularly intriguing since, while the iPhone has received a lot of attention from the DMA, the Google version of WhatsApp is indicating that these adjustments may soon be made.

What’s even more intriguing is that WhatsApp will allow users to make their own decisions, according to the screenshot used by WABetaInfo. “You’re messaging someone outside of WhatsApp,” the notification informs the user. Other apps might employ a different end-to-end encryption scheme. A warning that other apps “may handle your data differently” is also included.

This method offers a great deal of convenience as the site continues. Moving towards interoperability is a big step for WhatsApp in terms of complying with EU laws and giving users more flexible ways to communicate. Even without a WhatsApp account, users in the European region will be able to communicate with people on the messaging service through a variety of messaging apps.

It appears like WhatsApp will undergo a significant transformation soon and won’t be the same after that.

Updated on March 2. WABetaInfo provides more details about the impending update. Initially, it stated that a conversation detail panel just for third-party chats is being developed by WhatsApp for a future release. WhatsApp will instead show the default profile photo and the name of the third-party app from which the discussion originated because profile names and images are not allowed in third-party chats. We illustrated a third-party chat with an Instagram account in our example.

The site has a caveat for this information, though: “However, it’s important to clarify that Instagram is not a supported third-party app. Instead, it served as an example to illustrate how the third-party chat info screen appears. It’s worth noting that users will also be in control over which apps can communicate with their WhatsApp account, ensuring their preferences are always respected.”

It also mentions that third-party chats won’t be the same as regular chats from within WhatsApp. There will be limitations to some features. “Specifically, group chats involving third-party apps are not supported at the moment, meaning users cannot engage in group conversations that involve these external platforms. In addition, making calls with third-party apps isn’t supported either. Initially, communication with third-party chats may be restricted to text messages, but it’s worth mentioning that as WhatsApp continues to develop its integration with third-party apps, more features may be supported in the future. In addition, it is very important to note that this feature is optional as users will need to manually activate the interoperability service if they wish to use it.” WABetaInfo has previously said that users also have, “the ability to opt out if they choose, as highlighted in Article 7 of the regulations.”

Updated on March 3. More information regarding WhatsApp’s third-party conversation feature is becoming available. According to WABetaInfo, a snapshot from the most recent beta release shows that chat interoperability can be turned off as well as switched on when the feature launches. That makes sense, then.

The report says, “As you can see in the attached screenshot, WhatsApp is currently working on the ability to turn off the chat interoperability service, for a future update of the app. This is important as it is required by Article 7 of the EU regulations, which underscore the importance of user control over data sharing and communication preferences. In addition, WhatsApp is developing a feature to allow users to choose which third-party apps should communicate with the app, providing users with autonomy in choosing the extent of their integration with external services.”

Although no third-party apps have said that they will use this interoperability as of yet, it appears quite likely that they will. However, because their friends use an app, consumers could give it a try if they haven’t before. Additionally, they should be able to opt out just as simply as in case they don’t like it.

WABetaInfo goes on, “The ability to selectively choose which third-party apps can communicate with WhatsApp offers users a customized experience, as they can opt for integration with only those services they trust. In addition, the option to disable the chat interoperability service will be important for those who no longer wish to use this feature, as it provides them with the freedom to opt out of the service at any time of their choosing.”

There’s a catch, though: It’s crucial to emphasize that blocking the chat interoperability service will prevent users from sending and receiving messages in chats run by third parties. When this happens, their current third-party conversations will become read-only on WhatsApp and will be viewable until they decide to remove them.

There is still no release date specified, and further information regarding the new features will probably surface. But it probably will be soon, considering that the Digital Markets Act mandates that “gatekeepers” like WhatsApp comply by March 7.