WhatsApp is rolling out third-party agent chats to a limited number of iOS beta users, allowing them to connect external agents and interact with them directly inside the messaging app. The feature is currently available through WhatsApp beta for iOS version 26.37.10.70 on TestFlight in select countries.
WhatsApp agents can be created from Settings
According to feature tracker WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is adding an Agents section where users can create a dedicated chat for a third-party agent. Users can assign an agent a name and profile photo, after which WhatsApp generates an API key that can be copied to the service hosting the agent.
Once the external service is connected, the agent can respond to messages sent through its dedicated WhatsApp conversation. Users can also reset the API key if they need to establish the connection again.
WhatsApp reportedly supports up to five agents per account in the current test. The agents do not necessarily have to be AI-powered; the framework can also support other types of automated bots.
Agents have restricted access to user data
The feature is designed to keep third-party agents isolated from the rest of a user’s WhatsApp account. An agent can reportedly access information that the user explicitly shares within its own conversation, but it cannot access other chats, contacts or media stored on the device.
Third-party agents are also not intended to function like normal WhatsApp contacts across the platform. The current implementation does not support adding them to group chats or Communities, according to earlier testing of the feature on Android.
Third-party agent chats are not end-to-end encrypted
There is an important privacy difference between these agent conversations and regular WhatsApp chats. WhatsApp says messages exchanged with third-party agents are not end-to-end encrypted because they are routed through a secure Meta service that manages the connection on behalf of the agent developer.
The developer operating the connected agent can therefore access messages sent to that agent as part of providing the service. Users should consider the privacy policy and data practices of the third-party service before sharing sensitive information.
Regular personal WhatsApp messages and calls between users continue to use end-to-end encryption.
iOS rollout remains limited
WhatsApp is currently testing the feature with a very small group of iPhone users through TestFlight. Availability is limited to select countries and users, and WhatsApp has not announced a timeline for a wider public rollout.
The iOS test follows WhatsApp’s earlier rollout of third-party agent chats to a limited number of Android beta users. The expansion gives developers another way to connect external AI assistants and automated services to WhatsApp conversations without requiring users to switch to a separate application.
