WhatsApp is planning to launch a new ‘third party chats’ feature in Europe which would allow users to send messages to their friends on different messaging platforms. The feature was spotted by WABetainfo in WhatsApp for Android beta version 2.25.33.8 and is reportedly an attempt to comply with the Euopean Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The Meta owned personal messaging app has been rumoured to be working on the feature for quite some time but it is finally said to be making significant progress to meet the interoperability requirements set by the EU. Notably, the Digital Markets Act marks big companies like Meta as ‘gatekeepers’ owing to their dominant position in the market and forces them to open up their services to third party to foster fair competition.
How will WhatsApp interoperability look like?
As per WABetainfo, some WhatsApp users are now getting the beta update with interoperability features. Eligible users are able to communicat with people on other messaging platforms by turning on the feature via navigating to Settings > Account > Third-party chats on WhatsApp.
Notably, third-party chats on WhatsApp will reportedly support many essential features like sending messages, photos, videos, voice messages and documents, similar to how users can currently communicate with theri contacts on the app.
Users will be able to sort their incoming message either via a combined inbox or through a separate one for third party messages. They will also be able to customize the push notifications, media upload quality and in-app alerts for messages from other apps.
The only app supported by WhatsApp’s interoperability feature is BirdyChat. Reportedly, WhatsApp will not directly select which apps to integrate in the interoperability settings and instead third-party developers would have to work on the integration and submit a request to be included.
Reportedly, only the apps which would meet WhatsApp’s strict security and encryption requirements to ensure that user’s convesations would be protected.
The report notes that it is expected that WhatsApp could receive more integration requests in the future including from apps like ChatGPT. Notably, the AI platform had already rolled out a Group Chats feature to allow multiple users to have a conversation with its AI, similar to the feature already in play by WhatsApp.
However, many important WhatsApp features like status updates, stickers and disappearing messages may not be supported with the interoperability messages feature. Moreover, users who have been previously blocked on WhatsApp may be able to contact the receipient via other third party apps.
