WhatsApp may soon let you message Arattai users: Cross-app chats test started
WhatsApp is testing a new cross-platform messaging feature to text people on other apps, including Arattai. The feature is currently to beta users in the EU, and is being developed due to strict competition rules under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
WhatsApp now tests a new cross-platform messaging feature that could soon allow its users to text people on other apps, including India's homegrown messenger Arattai. The feature, currently only available to beta users in the EU, has been developed due to strict competition rules under the DMA. If it expands globally, WhatsApp users in India might eventually be able to message Arattai users without switching apps.
WhatsApp is testing cross-app messaging
- WhatsApp rolls out testing for a new feature enabling users to send messages to people on third-party apps.
- This means that a WhatsApp user can send a message to an Arattai user without the installation of Arattai.
- From inside WhatsApp itself, the feature has been spotted in the EU beta version by WaBetaInfo.
- For now, the feature supports only one third-party app, BirdyChat, but it gives an important sign of how WhatsApp will communicate with other messaging platforms in the near future.
Why does this matter for Arattai?
Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu has constantly called on messaging apps to adopt an interoperability model, just like:
- UPI
- Phone networks
In September, Vembu said messaging systems should work across apps and not be “closed gardens.”
He wrote, "These systems should be interoperable like UPI and email, and not closed like WhatsApp today. We do not want to be a monopoly ever."
WhatsApp could, ironically, be the first to deliver that feature Vembu wanted.
WhatsApp supporting cross platform texting due to EU regulations
This is less a competitive move than one driven by legal pressure. The Digital Markets Act by the European Union would require big tech platforms to:
- Allow open messaging channels
- Prevent monopoly behaviour
- Support communication with external apps
So WhatsApp is complying by enabling cross-app chats — at least in Europe.
To join the system, other applications must:
Apply to WhatsApp: Prove they meet encryption and privacy standards.
While Arattai currently offers end-to-end encryption on calls, but not yet for messages, this will probably delay its approval.
Will this feature come to India?
As of now, there is no confirmation that WhatsApp will launch this feature in India. Testing is confined to EU users only because of regulatory requirements. But if India ever issues similar interoperability rules, WhatsApp will expand the feature here.