Upcoming regulations in the EU will require major chat apps to offer a level of interoperability and while some services, like Apple’s iMessage, are trying to weasel their way out of the rule, WhatsApp is currently setting up future support for messages that come from other, third-party chat apps.
The EU’s upcoming regulation targets “gatekeepers” of the web, such as Alphabet/Google, Apple, Amazon, Meta, and others. The “Digital Markets Act” aims to break up those monopolistic apps and services in several ways, including making major chat apps open their doors to supporting messages from other chat apps.
WABetaInfo has spotted limited work within the latest WhatsApp for Android updates which shows that Meta is already working to support messages from third-party apps. The feature appears within the v2.23.19.8 update and provides a dedicated section within the app for messages from other apps.
With work so far being very limited, we don’t know what messages from other apps will look like within Meta’s app, or how users will actually be able set up messages between apps. Of course, there are far bigger questions, such as how this will affect encryption, what apps will actually be supported, and whether or not this will work beyond the EU. Still, it’s great to see that the most popular messaging app on the planet is already getting started with what could be a game-changing new rule.
More on WhatsApp:
- WhatsApp is testing a major redesign
- WhatsApp may soon support more advanced text formatting
- WhatsApp is launching ‘HD’ photos across Android, iOS, more, will also come to videos
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