WhatsApp begins testing cross app messaging in Europe

Just weeks after Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu publicly championed cross-compatibility between messaging apps, including his homegrown platform Arattai, WhatsApp has begun testing a feature that would allow users to message people on entirely different services.

The development, first reported by WaBetaInfo, is currently limited to beta testers in Europe but represents a major shift in the global messaging landscape — one that could potentially let WhatsApp users chat directly with Arattai users without ever opening Arattai.

WhatsApp’s unexpected leap toward interoperability

Arattai, built by Chennai-based Zoho, has seen a dramatic rise in downloads in recent weeks, positioning itself as a credible Indian alternative to WhatsApp. Vembu has repeatedly argued that messaging platforms must emulate UPI’s open ecosystem rather than operate as closed monopolies.

“These systems need to be interoperable like UPI and email, and not closed like WhatsApp today. We do not want to be a monopoly ever,” Vembu wrote in September, calling for standardisation of messaging protocols.

But while Arattai publicly floated the idea, WhatsApp appears to have moved faster — albeit under regulatory pressure.

Why WhatsApp is doing this

Meta is building cross-app messaging not out of altruism but to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires dominant tech platforms to open their communication channels to alternative services.

For now, the interoperability feature supports only one third-party app, BirdyChat. Developers must apply to WhatsApp for integration and meet stringent encryption standards to protect user privacy.

This could pose an immediate challenge for Arattai, which has yet to introduce end-to-end encryption but has said it plans to roll it out soon.

Will India get this feature?

There’s no word yet. At present, WhatsApp is testing cross-app messaging only in Europe to meet DMA mandates, and it hasn’t indicated whether the feature will expand to markets like India.

Still, the implications are profound: a shift toward messaging platforms that talk to each other — a vision Vembu voiced, but one that regulatory pressure may now force the global giant to adopt first.