It’s most likely a bit extra interoperability than Meta would have preferred, however WhatsApp is at present creating a new “Third Party Chats” section, which is able to allow customers of different chat apps to ship messages to WhatsApp customers.
As you’ll be able to see on this instance, shared by WA Beta Info, WhatsApp’s constructing a brand new ingredient within the app the place folks will be capable to view messages from different suppliers.
The change is consistent with the EU’s Digital Markets Act, which incorporates provisions that require “gatekeeper” apps, or apps with important market management, to “allow third events to inter-operate with the gatekeeper’s personal providers in sure particular conditions”.
In WhatsApp’s case, that signifies that it might want to permit a stage of cross-platform entry with different message suppliers, which is able to increase the capability for WhatsApp for use as a extra common messaging app.
Meta, in fact, has lengthy been working by itself cross-platform interoperability process, which is able to finally allow customers of Messenger, Instagram Direct, and WhatsApp to view and reply to messages despatched from any platform inside the different. That push gained much more momentum final week, when the UK Government dropped a key measure that sought to dam Meta from implementing end-to-end encryption by default in all of its messaging apps.
That’ll pave the way in which for the subsequent stage of Meta’s messaging integration push, by means of it’ll be fascinating to see how this new measure, which would require Meta to open up its platform to outdoors instruments, will affect broader development and adoption.
My guess could be that Meta will nonetheless stay the main platform for messaging in most areas, and that it’ll look to make use of this new ingredient as a method to focus on the extra advantages of utilizing its personal apps for messaging, versus merely porting into its service.
In response to WA Beta Info, WhatsApp has a 6-month interval to align its app with the brand new EU laws and facilitate messaging interoperability, so it’s not prepared but, however will probably be coming quickly.
