To comply with European regulations, WhatsApp is preparing the compatibility of its application with its competitors such as Messenger, Telegram and Discord.
The WhatsApp application on smartphones // Source: Meta
Last September we mentioned an earlier beta version of WhatsApp that seemed to open the door to discussions about other messaging apps like Messenger or even Discord.
In reality, Meta is not working on this light-hearted functionality: the company must comply with Europe's DMA (Digital Markets Act) regulations and is targeting tech giants with its anti-competitive practices.
WhatsApp is preparing to “welcome” its competitors
A new beta version of WhatsApp has just been rolled out to iOS via the TestFlight program. This makes the Third-Party Chats feature available to iPhone users before rolling out to everyone in the coming months.
Source: WABetaInfo
A new window should allow you to chat on other messaging apps. Technically, WhatsApp and its competitors could rely on RCS to provide such interoperability, but we are still waiting to see how this will work technically. However, we know that the functionality is optional and ensures the functionality of end-to-end encryption.
In this context, all instant messaging applications could become simple “clients” where each user can choose the user experience they want. Obviously, each application retains its own functionalities, and it is certain that these “third-party discussions” only provide basic functionality.