WhatsApp, the most popular instant messaging application, is not exempt from the tentacles of the DMA, European regulations about to come into force. The Meta-owned service has been preparing for this big change since last year, in which it must open up to chats from third-party applications such as Telegram.
That’s why it will change forever this month. However, before users can enjoy it, developers need to make this feature fully ready. They’ve been doing this for a while, giving us hints on how it will work: these “external” chats are visible in an exclusive section. NOW, a new beta version of WhatsApp for Android provides more details.
A beta version that shows us the third-party chat screen
This is nothing new with the Digital Markets Act, better known by its acronym DMA (Digital Markets Act, in English). This has been shaking the foundations of the industry for some time, even pushing the secretive Apple to open its operating system to alternative app stores. On WhatsApp, referred to as ‘porter» (a condition which obliges him to ensure compliance with this law), will result in they should open to chats from other apps and services.
This historic regulation will come into force on March 6, that is to say this Wednesday, and will bring WhatsApp interoperability with other messaging apps such as Signal or Telegram. This weekend, WABetaInfo discovered more details about the change, thanks to two beta updates to WhatsApp for Android.
In versions 2.24.5.20 and 2.24.6.2, there is clear guidance on how the application would allow messages from external services. First of all, we see a chat information screen which is still in development, where third-party applications will appear. In the screenshot, Instagram, although the specialized site itself has confirmed that it is not classified as a third-party application.
Image from WABetaInfo
On the other hand, beta version 2.24.6.2, after the first mentioned, offers us a summary of how we can manage third-party chats in the Meta application. It seems, This function can be deactivatedand we will have a complete list of applications that would have access to third-party chats.
As Meta develops the Android version of WhatsApp, Apple phones will also get this feature. One that should be very close to its launch if they want to avoid problems, in fact, could be imminent.
According to WhatsApp’s recent announcement, this interoperability feature will only be available in Europe, so if you are outside, everything will continue to work as before. Of course, these third-party chats will not have the same characteristics: we know that group chats cannot be opened, as well as make video calls or voice calls. However, they might arrive in future updates after the big change.
By | Android Font
Cover image | Microsoft Designer Image Creator
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