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. According to the publication, WhatsApp is actively developing a new section that will display messages coming from all third-party chats.

The feature, called interoperability, is said to be optional, and users will likely “need to maintain control over this feature, as they need to manually enable the interoperability service,” WABetaInfo said.

It is unclear when we can expect WhatsApp to bring this feature to the public, as it is possible that it will only be offered to users living in EU countries. However, considering WhatsApp’s March 2024 deadline to implement this feature, there is a possibility that it may be released earlier than anticipated.

In related news, WhatsApp has launched the ability to include polls in WhatsApp channels, and the Meta-owned app is also getting the ability to send voice notes and make up to 16 people admins. Additionally, users can now also share channel updates as their status.