WhatsApp Beta Tests Cross-Platform Messaging and AI Replies as South Africans Spot Early Signs

WhatsApp’s 2025 update surge is in full motion and South Africa is once again at the front of the global test pool. With more than 25 million local users and daily reliance across stokvels, school groups, church networks, township transport calls and SME operations, even small tweaks ripple through everyday life.

Now, South African beta testers in the 2.24.25.x branch are spotting two major changes that could reshape how the country communicates: cross-platform messaging and AI powered replies.

Cross-Platform Messaging Starts to Take Shape

EU interoperability rules triggered Meta’s work on third party messaging, but the company has confirmed it will roll out globally. South Africans are among the first outside the EU to see it.

The latest Android beta (v2.24.25.10) introduces a new inbox called Third Party Chats, allowing WhatsApp users to message people on Telegram, Signal and other supported apps. Features currently enabled include text messages, photos, videos, voice notes and documents. Stickers and status updates are not yet supported.

Local beta users on X have shared screenshots of the menu toggle surfacing intermittently. For South Africans who juggle WhatsApp for family and Signal or Telegram for business or activism, this offers a privacy boost by removing the need to share phone numbers across apps.

AI Gets Smarter and More Subtle

Meta’s Llama AI model is behind several new WhatsApp experiments. The biggest so far is contextual quick replies. These analyse your recent conversation and offer personalised suggestions such as confirming lift times, sharing locations or responding to event details.

Early testers say the feature feels surprisingly useful for large group chats. One Johannesburg user wrote that it “saves data and time during slow network periods”.

Another upcoming feature is AI chat summaries. These compress hundreds of missed messages into a digestible recap. If you missed a weekend of family chat recipes, WhatsApp will highlight the essentials such as “Mom shared 47 recipes. Key ones: bobotie, malva pudding, chicken potjie”.

These tools remain optional and can be toggled off.

Status and Voice Features Get Upgrades

South Africa is one of the world’s biggest status-using markets, with nearly 80 percent of users posting visual updates daily. The new upgrades include high quality photo and video uploads, longer voice statuses up to 60 seconds and schedule-ahead options for SMEs advertising festive promotions.

The voice note interface has also been refreshed with clearer waveforms and cleaner playback controls. These updates matter for many local communities where voice communication is more accessible than text.

Meta is also testing username handles, allowing people to share a simple @handle instead of their phone number. This supports safer interactions on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and OLX.

Why South Africans Are Seeing It First

South Africa is one of WhatsApp’s most important emerging markets. With nearly 25 million active users and an estimated R10 billion in annual economic impact, Meta prioritises the country for high-usage feature tests. For taxi marshals, spaza owners, students and families, tools that save data and time have immediate value.

Rollout is expected in phases from December 2025 to early Q1 2026, beginning with Android beta testers before reaching stable builds.

If you have already spotted any of these features, drop them in the comments. Your feed might be getting the next big WhatsApp upgrade before the rest of the world.