WhatsApp beta for Android arrives without new features but it is an important update

WhatsApp pushes out beta updates at a regular pace and most of them come with important features or new tools that eventually roll out to everyone. But the latest WhatsApp beta version for Android users has a different approach that focuses not on adding new tools but on fixing the existing problem.

The description from WABetainfo talks about Android beta version 2.24.3.15 which is a bug-fix update to fix issues with status updates in the messaging app. The tipster also mentioned that if WhatsApp users are still facing issues, it is likely that they are using an older version of the app.

It appears that WhatsApp is actively preparing to feature support for third-party chats within its platform, thereby complying with the requirements set by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). It mandates large technology companies, called “gatekeepers”, to establish interoperability and enable communication between different applications.

Simply put, the feature will allow users with apps like Telegram or Signal to send messages to WhatsApp users, eliminating the need for the sender to have a WhatsApp account, and vice versa.

The feature was first spotted last year, and has now been spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta on iOS version 24.2.10.72, as reported by WhatsApp feature tracker WABetaInfo. WhatsApp is actively developing a new section that will display messages coming from all third-party chats.

The report adds that this feature, called Interoperability, is optional, and that users will likely “need to maintain control over this feature, as they need to manually enable the Interoperability service.”