The app world never stays still for long.
The second half of November brought its share of fresh updates and clever improvements, and we’ve been keeping an eye on them.
Time to recap what’s been happening so far this month.
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WhatsApp to launch third party chats in Europe
WhatsApp is about to roll out third party chat integration across Europe to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act. Users who opt in will be able to chat with people on other messaging apps that choose to connect with WhatsApp, starting with BirdyChat and Haiket. Messages, photos, videos, voice notes and files will all be supported, with group chats coming later once partners are ready.
The feature will appear as a new option in Settings for users in the European Region and will only work on Android and iOS for now. Meta says third party chats will keep the same end to end encryption level as regular WhatsApp conversations, and users will be able to turn the integration on or off whenever they want.
👉 Learn more about WhatsApp’s third party chat integration.
Google drops Gemini 3, its most powerful model yet
Google just launched Gemini 3, a major upgrade that lands only seven months after 2.5 and arrives days after GPT 5.1. The model is already posting record benchmark scores and comes with a new research version called Gemini 3 Deepthink that will roll out soon for AI Ultra subscribers.
Google is also introducing Google Antigravity, a new coding app that mixes a prompt window, a terminal and a live browser preview so developers can build and test code with an agent helping across everything at once. With more than 650 million people using the Gemini app each month, this update lands in a huge ecosystem from day one.
👉 Learn more about Google’s new Gemini 3 launch.
Google launches Nano Banana Pro for high quality AI image generation
Google just dropped Nano Banana Pro, a big update to its image generator with sharper visuals, better text rendering, pro level controls and built in web search. You can now create 2K and 4K images, tweak things like lighting and camera angles, blend multiple objects and keep consistent faces across shots.
The model is rolling out across Google’s ecosystem, including the Gemini app, NotebookLM, Slides, Vids and the new Antigravity IDE. Free users get limited generations, while paid tiers unlock more. Developers can also access it through the Gemini API.
👉 Learn more about Google’s new Nano Banana Pro model.
ChatGPT rolls out group chats worldwide
ChatGPT is adding group chats for everyone on Free, Go, Plus and Pro. You can now collaborate with up to 20 people in a shared conversation where ChatGPT jumps in to search, summarize or help you plan. Each person keeps their own settings and memory, and you can tag ChatGPT when you want it to respond.
Group chats are meant for things like planning trips, co-writing docs, settling debates or working through research together. Adding someone creates a fresh chat so your old convo stays intact, and participants can react with emojis or use short profiles.
👉 Learn more about ChatGPT’s new group chat feature.
Snapchat adds Topic Chats for public conversations
Snapchat is opening the door to public chatrooms with a new feature called Topic Chats. You can jump into conversations about trending moments, TV shows, sports and more, while your profile stays private to anyone who isn’t already a friend. Only your display name shows up, and it can’t be tapped or searched.
Snapchat is using LLM powered moderation and its Community Guidelines to keep these chats safe. You’ll also see which chats your friends have joined and get related Spotlight videos inside each room. Topic Chats start rolling out in the U.S., Canada and New Zealand across Chat shortcuts, search, Stories and Spotlight.
👉 Learn more about Snapchat’s new Topic Chats.
Copilot leaves WhatsApp on January 15th
Copilot is leaving WhatsApp in mid January after Meta’s new rules blocked general purpose AI chatbots from using the WhatsApp Business API. If you want to keep chatting with Copilot, you’ll have to switch to Microsoft’s mobile apps or the web version.
Your old chats won’t carry over because the WhatsApp integration was unauthenticated, so Microsoft suggests exporting anything you want to save before the deadline.
👉 Learn more about Copilot’s exit from WhatsApp.
Plenty of updates to close out November. Stay tuned to our blog for the next round of highlights coming in December.
