WhatsApp’s plan to support third-party messaging apps is not hidden. We have seen WhatsApp’s work regarding interoperability in the app’s beta updates. It seems like this may soon become more concrete as WhatsApp’s engineering director Dick Brouwer confirmed in interview with Wired.
Brouwer revealed that WhatsApp will soon give an option to choose whether or not people want to choose its interoperability feature. For those who are not aware, interoperability simply means that one can message their friend on a different app using WhatsApp. So in the future, if WhatsApp fully adds this feature, one could message their friend on Signal or Snapchat straight from the Meta-owned app. But this is not as simple as it sounds on paper and execution is a different game.
According to the Wired report, WhatsApp’s support for third-party messaging apps will include text messaging, sending images, voice messages, videos, and files. There are plans to add group chats and calls later on.
The ability to access third-party chats will be available as a standalone option under Chats. This has been spotted in the beta version (24-2-10-72) of WhatsApp for iOS. Whenever this comes into play, this is how it could appear based on screenshots that have been shared earlier.
Why is WhatsApp Adding Interoperability
So what is the reason for this big change? Well, Meta is doing this thanks to the push of European Union (EU)’s Digital Market Act (DMA). The act wants ‘gatekeeper’ companies to open up their ‘walled gardens’. And yes, Meta is one of the six influential gate-keepers under the definition of this new act, given its large user base across apps.
According to EU’s new rules, the changes need to come in place by March 2024. Other gatekeepers defined under the act are Amazon, Alphabet, Apple, ByteDance, and Microsoft. Keep in mind that Meta’s vision of interoperability for ‘communication’ apps goes way back. Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg spoke about it in 2019 in a detailed post.
Interoperability is Easier Said Than Done For WhatsApp
That said, interoperability among apps, especially messaging apps is not as easy to achieve. Compiling the userbase of multiple apps, while keeping security protocols in place without compromising user privacy requires work. In the Wired interview, Brouwer has said that even if this feature becomes official, implementation will take a few months. Plus security and encryption concerns will always remain.
There’s no word on whether this will be followed for just the EU region or whether or not other markets will get to experience this, especially in India. For the uninitiated, the Indian government wants to enforce Section 4 (2) of the Information Technology (IT) Rules, 2021 to curb the spread of fake news.
This would require WhatsApp to disclose the ID of the person, who may have sent a particular message. Basically India’s IT rules require the breaking of end-to-end encryption (E2E) and WhatsApp/Meta are currently embroiled in a court case with the Indian government regarding these rules.
With EU enforcing interoperability, it remains to be seen how WhatsApp implements this and whether other apps accept this feature as well. After all, the other apps in question will also have to support the ability to receive or send messages from WhatsApp. Given there is a month to go for implementation, hopefully WhatsApp will share more details soon regarding the changes.
