Meta
has
finally
pulled
the
curtain
back
on
what
its
plans
for
third-party
chats
in
WhatsApp
and
Messenger
will
look
like.
The
change,
which
is
coming
for
users
in
the
European
Union,
introduces
new
options
to
put
Messenger
and
WhatsApp
messages
in
the
same
inbox
as
third-party
chats
or
keep
them
separate.
It’s
building
new
notifications
into
Messenger
and
WhatsApp
as
well,
which
will
let
users
know
when
they
can
link
chats
from
newly
supported
apps.
Meta
says
it
has
“gone
above
and
beyond
the
‘basic’
features
required
for
interoperable
messaging”
and
will
offer
rich
messaging
features,
like
reactions,
direct
replies,
typing
indicators,
and
read
receipts.
It
will
also
start
including
the
option
to
create
groups
with
other
people
in
third-party
chats
next
year.
But
Meta’s
plan
for
interoperability
goes
beyond
messaging
—
the
company
says
it
will
roll
out
support
for
third-party
video
and
voice
calls
in
2027.
Meta
has
been
working
on
bringing
third-party
chats
into
WhatsApp
and
Messenger
for
users
in
the
EU
for
quite
some
time.
The
company
is
considered
a
“digital
gatekeeper”
under
the
EU’s
Digital
Markets
Act,
which
means
it
must
comply
with
requirements
to
make
WhatsApp
and
Messenger
interoperable
with
third-party
apps,
like
iMessage,
Telegram,
Google
Messages,
Signal,
and
others.
There
are
some
hurdles
it
will
have
to
overcome,
as
other
companies
that
want
to
integrate
with
WhatsApp
and
Messenger
will
need
to
use
the
same
Signal
Protocol
to
keep
messages
private.
In
a
copy
of
the
agreement
third-party
apps
have
to
sign,
Meta
says
it
will
make
the
Signal
Protocol
available
to
partners
upon
request.
(Originally posted by Emma Roth)
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