WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new cross-platform messaging feature called “third-party chats”. The EU regulations for 2024 demand companies like Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft to enable interoperability with third-party messaging platforms. To comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, Meta has taken the first step towards bringing cross-platform messaging to WhatsApp. This feature will allow WhatsApp users to engage with other instant messaging platforms. For instance, a telegram user can send a message to a WhatsApp user, bridging the gap between different messaging apps. This means that users do not have to keep themselves restricted to the user base of a single platform. The feature is currently inaccessible since it is in the development stage.
Apart from this, Article 7 of the regulations suggests that, once the option becomes available in the future, users will also have an option to opt out of the interoperability. The new feature is here to totally shake up the way people interact with third-party messaging apps and it may change the way messaging works as a whole!
It remains to be seen how WhatsApp is going to implement this feature without compromising its promises of safety and encryption. It also has to retain compatibility with features like Communities. At this stage, it remains unknown if this feature will extend to markets beyond Europe.
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