The European Digital Markets Act requires chat services such as Messenger and Whatsapp to be interoperable with alternative services. Starting in 2025, it should become possible to exchange messages, photos, videos and voice memos between different apps.
Moreover, from 2027, users should also be able to make calls and video calls with users of other apps. Messenger and Whatsapp should be able to support these modern features by then.
At a recent blog post from Meta the company addresses the specific requirements of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Interoperability with third parties must be enabled under European directives. Meta calls this facilitating "third-party chats."
Meanwhile, Meta has been developing the new features for six months. Notifications for third-party chats will appear in your Messenger or WhatsApp app, and users will have the option to choose which apps they want to accept.
It is also possible to choose whether you want chats from other apps in a separate folder or all messages to arrive in one place.
To make the functionalities so user-friendly, Meta goes "above and beyond" the basic functionalities. Among other things, it should be possible to comment on posts and see read receipts. (Video) calling will be introduced in 2027.
The DMA went into effect last March. The purpose of the law is to prevent dominant tech companies from impeding competition in the digital domain. These include companies such as Chrome (dominant browser) and WhatsApp (dominant chat service).
The moment Whatsapp and Messenger become compatible with other apps, though, security and privacy may come under pressure. Meta has previously indicated that apps must use a similar encryption protocol to be compatible with WhatsApp and Messenger.
Want to make sure your privacy settings on these apps are up to date? Then check out our articles on privacy on Whatsapp and our overview of the safest chat apps.
