To comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), WhatsApp is working on interoperability. Soon the application will be able to be used for conversations with other messaging systems. The first tests are even already underway!
In the coming weeks, digital companies – including Alphabet (Google), Amazon, Apple, ByteDance (TikTok), Meta (Facebook) and Microsoft – will have to comply with new regulations imposed by the European Commission in the framework of the Digital Markets Act (DMA). As a reminder, this is new legislation which aims to regulate digital markets by combating the anti-competitive strategies of players and protecting users and consumers while promoting innovation. Among the many measures imposed on digital companies, we find interoperability in particular. This difficult-to-pronounce name simply refers to compatibility between communication services, platforms or applications. So in the same way that we can chat with a correspondent using a different telephone operator, we should soon be able to exchange messages with any other user, regardless of the messaging service used (WhatsApp, Signal, Messenger, or iMessage ). A real revolution which should significantly simplify everyday life.
WhatsApp begins interoperability testing on iPhone
Since the European Commission’s announcement, WhatsApp has been working hard to comply with the measures which will be applicable from March 7. Last September, the company began testing the interoperability of Android smartphones. A new section entitled “third-party conversations” was then created. In this tab, we could then find messages received from other email clients. Now, it’s the turn of the iPhone to experience such a revolution. As evidenced by the revelations of the specialized site WABetaInfo which ensures that WhatsApp is testing iPhone interoperability in its latest beta, numbered 24.2.10.72. According to experts, the company belonging to the Meta group simply intends to deploy on Apple devices the function already developed on Android last school year.
Obviously, this new function, which should arrive in a future update, will streamline communications between users. As with other conversations in the app, end-to-end encryption will be required for interoperable messaging systems. Enough to guarantee a sufficiently high level of security for all users. Finally, it is important to remember that users will be able to activate or deactivate the function if they wish, as indicated in article 7 of the DMA. One thing is certain: when interoperability is in place, it will be much simpler to communicate!