Introduction:
As a result of the European Union’s (EU) regulatory demands, WhatsApp has started to build cross-platform messaging features. The European Union last week selected the six significant digital companies that should be viewed as gatekeepers in some way under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). A few days later, as WABetaInfo first reported, a new beta version of WhatsApp introduced a screen named “third-party chats” as the first illustration of the new EU regulatory framework.
This new panel may be seen in a test version of the popular messaging service’s Android app. It’s a brand-new area that exists apart from your primary WhatsApp inbox. Although there isn’t anything visible right now, WhatsApp will eventually allow you to access a special menu where you can view incoming messages from users of other messaging services.
Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, ByteDance, Meta, and Microsoft were the six gatekeepers listed by the EU. Each category’s list was divided into essential platform services. Due to this, some businesses are included in many lists.
Google, for example, runs several services that could be regarded as gatekeeping services, such as multiple “intermediation” services (Google Maps, Google Play, and Google Shopping), as well as the company’s ad delivery system, a web browser (Chrome), an operating system (Android), a search engine, and a video sharing platform (YouTube).
Additionally, Meta is included in several categories. The business runs the two most popular social networks, Facebook and Instagram, and Meta Marketplace, an intermediary service and an advertising platform. In addition to such services, Meta is the undisputed leader in one particular category: messaging apps.
WhatsApp has Reluctantly Started Work on Cross-Platform Messaging:
WhatsApp has Reluctantly Started Work on Cross-Platform Messaging [Source of Image : Techcrunch.com]
For messaging apps, the EU uses the abbreviation N-IICS, which stands for Number-Independent Interpersonal Communication Service. To say that we are talking about messaging but not text messages is regulatory jargon. WhatsApp and Messenger are the two messaging services covered by the DMA.
The EU declared 2022 that messaging platform compatibility was a crucial condition for messaging services from gatekeepers. Signal, Telegram, or Snapchat users can message WhatsApp and Messenger users without registering for an account with either service.
Thus, WhatsApp released a new Android beta today. As Meta only has a little time to enable functionality for third-party messengers, the WhatsApp development team has begun work on interoperability. Gatekeepers have six months to complete the entire list of requirements, so interoperability ought to be operational by March 2024.
You might wonder why the essential messaging services don’t include Apple’s messaging system iMessage. Apple claims that, at least for now, its messaging service needs to meet the 45 million+ user criteria.
Regarding cutting-edge services like file sharing, video calls, and audio messages, watching how Meta integrates interoperability in WhatsApp will be interesting. End-to-end encryption will also need to function with outside services. In other words, for the WhatsApp team, this is only the groundbreaking ceremony for a critical project.
