WhatsApp to become your ultimate chat app solution soon

• WhatsApp must add interoperability features by March 2024 or face fines.
• WhatsApp is working on enabling communication with other messaging apps.
• This could create a fairer competitive landscape for smaller messaging apps.

Due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations, WhatsApp must add interoperability features by a deadline, allowing users to communicate without needing a WhatsApp account.

Initial signs point to WhatsApp actively progressing with the implementation of these changes, with early signs of ongoing development becoming evident.

The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has recently been enacted with the primary aim of stopping tech giants like Microsoft, Meta, Apple, and Google from hindering fair competition in the industry.

One crucial goal is to provide consumers with easier access to alternative services and simplify the seamless use of these services together.

In its initial stage, EU legislators have identified 22 core platform services as gatekeepers and launched investigations into their operations.

Meta, specifically, faces a stringent six-month deadline to introduce interoperability in WhatsApp and Messenger. A failure to comply could lead to significant fines, amounting to 10% of its annual global turnover.

The fine might not be a cause for concern, as WhatsApp has proactively taken steps to resolve interoperability issues.

As reported by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has started working on enabling communication with other messaging apps. Testers have recently discovered a new feature in the beta version 2.23.19.8 of the app, which is accessible on the Google Play Store.

Although specific details are scarce due to the ongoing development, the new feature known as “third-party chats” is expected to act as a central hub for messages received from individuals who don’t primarily use WhatsApp as their messaging platform.

The potential for such interoperability has the potential to create a fairer competitive landscape for smaller user-based apps like Signal in their rivalry with WhatsApp and other dominant platforms like Telegram. This development could prompt the EU to reassess the gatekeeper designation.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp faces the formidable challenge of maintaining end-to-end encryption even for messages originating from external applications, which is a significant task ahead.

However, it’s unclear whether WhatsApp will extend interoperability beyond the European Union (EU), where the Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandates such measures.

An official announcement from WhatsApp regarding these initiatives may be on the horizon, especially with the looming deadline of March 2024 for compliance to avoid potential fines.

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