WhatsApp is gearing up to introduce interoperability on its platform, just weeks ahead of the deadline for the Digital Markets Act (DMA). With over 2 billion users, the company’s engineering director, Dick Brouwer, mentioned in an interview with Wired that WhatsApp is poised to allow other messaging networks within its app. The DMA, introduced in 2022 by the EU, mandates major players such as WhatsApp and Messenger to open up their services to other chat apps. Meta, which owns WhatsApp, is also working on enabling support for other chat apps in Messenger.
Moreover, the interoperability will initially focus on one-on-one chats where users can send text, audio, video, images, and files across apps. Brouwer emphasized that this will be an opt-in experience to combat spam and scams. Furthermore, companies seeking to be interoperable with Meta’s system will have to sign an agreement, with end-to-end encryption being a requirement for WhatsApp. However, the terms may not be straightforward, especially in light of Apple’s recent changes to the App Store. Matrix’s founder also mentioned working with WhatsApp on an experimental basis to make the protocol work with end-to-end encryption intact.
This move towards interoperability within messaging applications has been trending for the past few months, with companies like Automattic acquiring Texts.com and Eric Migicovsky’s Beeper endeavoring to bring iMessage to Android phones. Nonetheless, Brouwer mentioned potential new privacy and security challenges that might arise from interoperability between third-party chats and WhatsApp’s native chats, hinting at the need for caution and regulation.