WhatsApp is currently testing a new feature that lets users communicate with people who don’t have an account.
Currently in beta, the feature enables users to control their interaction with external messaging services. According to reports, this will make it easier to manage privacy and decide which apps can exchange messages with WhatsApp.
The platform’s users will be able to disable chat interoperability and choose which third-party apps can communicate with WhatsApp.
As demonstrated by the screenshot, the conversations under this feature will be referred to as “guest chats” and are expected to provide a way for users to connect with those who don’t have a WhatsApp account.
The name “guest chats” likely refers to conversations with temporary guests who can join chats without having a full WhatsApp account.
As seen in third-party chats, the app will let you send messages to people beyond the usual WhatsApp network. However, the big difference will be that guest chats will operate entirely within the WhatsApp ecosystem.
This means that the Meta-owned platform is developing a system that allows chat with non-users directly, ensuring a consistent user experience.
To start a guest chat, users will first need to send an invite to their contacts who don’t have WhatsApp installed. The recipient will then click the link, which will grant access to a chat.
The big disclaimer is that guest chats will most likely come with some limitations compared to regular chats. Sharing media files, voice, and video messages will likely not be possible within such chats.
Group chats are also not expected to be possible within this feature. The big positive expected to be a part of it is end-to-end encryption, which means that privacy and security will be maintained.
For users wondering how such secure communication can happen without the other person having the app installed, it is likely that the guest will access the chat through an interface similar to WhatsApp Web.
In this scenario, the guest’s device uses WhatsApp’s web resources to create a private and encrypted chat session without requiring a dedicated app installation.
