WhatsApp's parent company Meta has announced its strategy to integrate third-party chats into platforms. This development will be especially aimed at users in the European Union (EU).
Meta announced plans for third-party chats on WhatsApp and Messenger. For users in the European Union, the upcoming change offers new options to put Messenger and WhatsApp messages in the same inbox as third-party chats or keep them separate.
The new feature will give users the flexibility to merge Messenger and WhatsApp messages with third-party conversations into a single inbox or keep them separate. Meta is expected to bring enhanced features and notifications to Messenger and WhatsApp.
These updates will alert users when they are given the option to connect to chats from newly supported apps. The company claims to go beyond the basic features needed for interoperable messaging. Advanced features include reactions, direct replies, typing indicators and read receipts.
In addition to messaging features, Meta plans to enable grouping with other users in third-party chats next year. The company's vision for interoperability extends beyond just messaging. By 2027, it announced plans to launch support for third-party video and voice calls.
This move demonstrates Meta's commitment to improving the user experience by increasing functionality across platforms. Meta's initiative to integrate third-party chats into WhatsApp and Messenger is part of its efforts to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act.
Under EU law, Meta is required to make WhatsApp and Messenger interoperable with third-party apps such as iMessage, Telegram, Google Messages and Signal. This regulatory requirement is driving the company's latest developments in chat integration.
Implementing interoperable messaging presents particular challenges. Companies looking to integrate with WhatsApp and Messenger will need to adopt the same Signal Protocol to ensure message privacy.
Meta has announced that it will make the Signal Protocol available to its partners on demand, with an agreement stating that third-party applications must sign to solve this problem. This step aims to protect user privacy while promoting seamless communication between different platforms.
