It seems that a lot of messaging apps, including WhatsApp, are being forced to start offering cross-platform support. We do know that the EU wants all the companies to fall in line and offer interoperability between their instant messaging apps, and now it seems that Meta has started working on making this happen already because, based on newly surfaced evidence, it is clear that the Meta-owned instant messaging app is getting this feature.
Meta has already started testing the third-party chat feature on WhatsApp
WhatsApp's Android beta app (v2.23.19.8) apparently now has a chat screen where you can take part in third-party chats. At the moment, it's just a placeholder, meaning that the feature does not work but considering how the EU has been after these companies to introduce interoperability between their apps, it should not come as a surprise that Meta is already working on bringing this feature to life, and it could be ready for primetime by next year.
Now, this should not surprise any WhatsApp users because the law was proposed back in March 2022, and at that time, it was said that the EU would want these instant messaging apps to have interoperability to ensure that there is a seamless communication channel for everyone. At that time, we did not think that it would be happening, but now it seems Meta is on board, and considering the popularity, it is safe to say that other instant messaging apps would also join and introduce such a feature.
Keep in mind that the feature is still not available to everyone, and even if you do see it on your WhatsApp beta version, you will not be able to use it. So, the smarter thing would be to just wait until we hear more companies implementing the change. 2024 is still some time away, so it is going to take some time before this specific feature starts rolling out to everyone. We will be sure to keep you posted as we discover more information on what Meta and other companies have planned, but this early finding is indicative enough that what we are about to get could more or less change the future of instant messaging forever.
Do you think such a feature should be commonplace on all the popular instant messaging apps? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments below.
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