WhatsApp Third-Party Chats Are Here: What the New Update Means for Users
WhatsApp is about to roll out one of its most radical changes to date, the so-called WhatsApp third-party chats, a feature that will enable users to receive messages from other messaging apps. This is in line with the compliance of the app with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) of the European Union to open up the ecosystem of dominant digital platforms to enhance competition. Being available in Android beta versions now, the feature will also enable users to forward texts, media files, and others across compatible applications. Although interoperability is associated with convenience and openness, it also brings concerns of the limitation of features and the emergence of privacy concerns.
WhatsApp: Step Towards Interoperability under the EU regulation
The next third-party chats on WhatsApp are a major departure in the functionality of messaging apps. WABetaInfo, in the Android beta version 2.25.33.8 of WhatsApp, presents the update as evidence of how Meta is currently striving towards fulfilling the interoperability requirements of the Digital Markets Act in the EU. The meta-technology companies, such as Meta, in the case of the DMA, are termed as gatekeepers owing to their domineering power in the marketplace, as they must integrate with third-party services to encourage healthy rivalry.
As per these requirements, WhatsApp is currently making beta users in Europe activate it through Settings Account Third-party chats. Upon activation, a user is able to chat with contacts in other messaging services without the latter having to use WhatsApp. It is one of the earliest efforts of a large international messaging app to capture its ecosystem.
The integration functions just like regular WhatsApp messages, where users can send and receive messages, images, videos, voice notes, and documents. The interface allows the user to sort their inbox either in a combined format or in third-party chat folders. Notification, media quality, and alert customization mean that the incoming messages of the external applications do not get complicated and uncontrollable.
Supported Apps, What You Will Get, and What You Still Miss.
In fact, at present, there is only one app that is officially supported by the interoperability system at WhatsApp BirdyChat. WhatsApp is not the only app that will choose which applications to support; third-party developers have to apply and develop compatibility. Additional integrations are not unexpected, and with early projections, it is doubtful that apps such as ChatGPT may appear on the list in the future.
Nevertheless, not all the basic WhatsApp functions will be supported by the new feature. The latest additions, like status updates, disappearing messages, and stickers, might fail in the use of third-party chats on the first rollout. Also, since messaging is not limited to WhatsApp, individuals who are blocked on the site can get through another application to the recipient- a problem that WhatsApp should solve with future restrictions.
In spite of these shortcomings, the feature is a significant move to a more open messaging ecosystem. With the increasing number of developers in the interoperability program, users in Europe might soon experience smooth inter-platform communication that was never achieved in the closed messaging environment.
