A recent WhatsApp beta update for Android includes a new screen called Third Party Chatsaccording to WABetaInfo.
Currently, the screen is neither functional nor accessible to users, but its title is a strong indication that this is likely the first step towards opening up the meta-messaging app to compatibility with other platforms.
The beta release comes just days after the European Commission confirmed that Meta, owner of WhatsApp, met the definition of “gatekeeper” in the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA). forces communication programs like WhatsApp to interact with third-party messaging systems by March 2024.
WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.23.19.8: What’s new?
WhatsApp is working to comply with new EU regulations by developing support for chat interoperability. This will be available in a future update to the app! pic.twitter.com/Jpd9Leh2Ki
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) September 10, 2023
WhatsApp Beta for Android 2.23.19.8: What’s new?
The aim of the DMA is to prevent gatekeepers from “enforcing unfair conditions” and “ensuring the openness of important digital services”. In addition to requiring messaging apps to be interoperable, the DMA also requires, among other things, that gatekeepers allow users to remove pre-installed apps or purchase them from alternative app stores.
Both Meta and Microsoft are planning their own mobile app stores in response to the DMA. The European Commission is investigating whether Apple’s iMessage and Microsoft’s Bing search engine, Edge browser and advertising service meet the requirements of the new rules.