WhatsApp has begun introducing the facility to chat directly with third-party agents for iPhone users as it expands its platform. This feature is currently being rolled out to a limited number of users, allowing various external agents to be utilized within WhatsApp chats.
According to WABetaInfo, during the testing of this feature in the WhatsApp beta version, users are given the option to add their own agent through the app’s settings. A maximum of five agents can be linked to a single account. When configuring an agent, the user can select a specific name and profile picture for it, after which WhatsApp provides an API key. This key can be used in the relevant third-party service to connect the agent with the WhatsApp chat. Instructions are also given not to share the API key with anyone else, as it provides complete control over the agent.
Regarding privacy, an important limitation of this feature is that the agent can only read messages that the user explicitly shares with it. It does not have independent access to the user’s regular personal chats, contacts, or media. However, conversations with third-party agents will not be end-to-end encrypted like regular WhatsApp chats. According to WABetaInfo, Meta’s secure service is used to transmit these messages to the system utilized by the agent developer.
Currently, this feature is not generally available to all iPhone users and is being rolled out to a limited number of users in selected countries. The compatible beta version for iOS is reported to be WhatsApp beta for iOS 26.37.10.70.
