Avast ye hearties! Word be sailin' thar seas that WhatsApp may soon allow ye to send missives to other apps like Signal!
2024-01-24
Arr, me hearties! 'Tis bein' said that WhatsApp's recent tryst with other apps be the handiwork o' the EU's Digital Markets Act. Aye, they be makin' merry with third-party folk, sailin' on the waves o' interoperability they be. Yo ho ho!
Meta, the company that owns WhatsApp, is working on improving the app's interoperability by allowing users to directly message people on different platforms like Signal. This information comes from a recent WhatsApp beta for iOS, which reveals a new section in the Chats tab exclusive for third-party conversations. Users will have manual control over this function and the option to disable it at any time. Text messages to and from third-party sources will also be encrypted for privacy.It is unclear which platforms will be able to communicate with WhatsApp, but Signal is mentioned as an example. The TestFlight program for WhatsApp beta on iOS is currently full, but Android users can join the Google Play Beta Program to download the beta version. This increased interoperability is believed to be a result of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which aims to limit the power of major tech corporations. One of the new rules requires messaging platforms like WhatsApp to allow users to talk to others on third-party apps.
The DMA will be enforced by the EU starting from March 6, 2024. The exact release date of WhatsApp's interoperability upgrade is unknown, but it may come out in February or early March. The Android beta version has been available since September 2023. In the meantime, TechRadar has compiled a list of the best encrypted messaging apps for Android in 2024.