Meta to introduce interoperability for WhatsApp, Messenger in Europe
Meta is making significant updates to WhatsApp and Messenger to enable interoperability with third-party chat apps in Europe, according to a recent blog post.The changes are part of Meta's compliance with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, which requires major companies, known as "gatekeepers," to ensure their platforms work seamlessly with third-party services and do not favour their own products.
Meta started developing this feature last year in response to the DMA regulations. The company solicited feedback from potential partners and stakeholders to help shape the new functionality.
Meta's update includes notifications in WhatsApp and Messenger that alert users when a third-party service is ready for integration. Users can specify which third-party apps they want to receive messages from and whether they want to keep these messages in a separate inbox or combine them with their regular chats in a single inbox.
In addition to basic text messaging, Meta intends to add rich messaging capabilities to third-party chats. These features include reactions, direct responses, typing indicators, and read receipts. Users will be able to create group chats by next year, and voice and video calls will be available across multiple apps by 2027.
"Users will start to see the third-party chat option when a third-party messaging service has built, tested, and launched the necessary technology to make the feature a positive and secure user experience," Meta told me.
However, not all third-party apps will be immediately integrated into WhatsApp and Messenger. Meta intends to continue collaborating with other services to increase the availability of this feature over time.
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