WhatsApp is already starting to work on the feature, which will become mandatory in Europe under the new Digital Markets Act in early 2024. Messaging app in particular is developing a section for chat compatibilitywhere users will be able to view and respond to messages received through a third-party application.
The feature comes after the European Commission deemed WhatsApp to be the guardian company of a new law that aims to end unfair competition and abuse of power by big tech companies over other smaller services or platforms. Chat compatibility will allow users of other apps to write to WhatsApp users. without the need to have an account on the Meta platform. For example, a Telegram user will be able to message someone on WhatsApp, and the chats will apparently appear in the aforementioned section.
As reported by the portal wabeteinfo, the feature appeared in the latest beta version of WhatsApp, although it is not officially available yet as the company continues to work on it. Meta, application owner, It should be ready by March 2024.. And the European Commission has set a 6-month deadline for those companies deemed to be “custodians” to make the necessary changes to comply with the new Digital Markets Act.
WhatsApp, one of the few messaging apps considered “Guardians”
However, it is unclear whether chat compatibility will affect WhatsApp’s end-to-end encryption. Also, if some features of the messaging application can be used in those conversations in which the sender or recipient participates from a third-party application.
Interestingly, in the messaging apps section of the European Commission only two meta-services appear as “custodians”. In particular, these are WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. This latest platform should also enable messaging compatibility before March next year.
For now, Apple’s messaging platform is not considered a gatekeeper. The Cupertino company claims that its service does not have such capacity in Europe. Something similar is happening with Microsoft and Bing, which claim that their search engine barely has market share in the European Union. In both cases, the European Commission will investigate whether they meet the conditions and will make a more final decision in the coming weeks.
Source: Hiper Textual
I am Garth Carter and I work at Gadget Onus. I have specialized in writing for the Hot News section, focusing on topics that are trending and highly relevant to readers. My passion is to present news stories accurately, in an engaging manner that captures the attention of my audience.
