WhatsApp tests third-party AI agents inside chats, opening new route for automated services
WhatsApp is testing a feature for Android users to connect third-party AI agents, allowing interaction via individual chats. Messages with agents are not end-to-end encrypted.
WhatsApp is testing a feature that allows users to connect third-party AI agents to their accounts and interact with them through individual chats, bringing external automated services into the messaging platform without requiring users to switch to another app or website.
According to WABetaInfo, the feature is being rolled out to a limited number of Android users in select regions and has been spotted in WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.35.3. The functionality is accessed through an Agents section within WhatsApp settings, where users can add an external agent using its name and profile information.
WhatsApp currently allows up to five third-party agents to be connected to an account. Once an agent is added, WhatsApp generates an API key, which must be entered on the platform hosting the agent to complete the connection. After the setup is completed, the agent appears as a separate conversation in WhatsApp and can respond to messages within that chat.
The feature extends beyond general-purpose conversational AI. According to the report, WhatsApp also supports bots designed to perform specific tasks or respond to predefined commands, allowing developers to connect different types of automated services to the platform depending on how their agents are built.
The development also introduces a different privacy framework from conventional WhatsApp conversations. Messages exchanged with third-party agents are not protected by WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption because they are processed through a Meta service on behalf of the third-party agent developer.
At the same time, the agents are restricted from accessing a user’s wider WhatsApp account. An agent can access only the conversation in which it is being used and cannot access other chats, contacts or media stored in other conversations. Third-party agents also cannot currently be added to WhatsApp groups or communities.
For the advertising and marketing industry, the feature creates a new environment in which automated brand, commerce, customer-service and task-specific agents could potentially be accessed through a messaging interface, rather than through standalone applications or websites. Its current restrictions, limited rollout and privacy architecture, however, define the scope of the feature at this stage.
The development comes as messaging platforms increasingly accommodate automated services alongside person-to-person communication. WhatsApp’s proposed model keeps third-party agents separate from users’ existing conversations, with each agent operating through its own individual chat.
Users can remove an agent through WhatsApp settings. Removing it disconnects the service from WhatsApp, while the existing conversation remains visible in the application. Reconnecting the same agent requires establishing a new connection and using a new API key.