The most recent WhatsApp beta contains another screen called Outsider visits that might permit it to work with other informing applications, WaBetaInfo has detailed. Even though the page is blank, its presence may indicate that WhatsApp is developing such a feature to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) of the European Union.
Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, TikTok owner ByteDance, Meta, Microsoft, and Samsung—seven tech giant “gatekeepers” with over $7.5 billion in turnover—were required to adhere to all of the EU’s new digital market regulations in July. The DMA requires gatekeepers to allow interoperability with third parties and prohibits gatekeepers from favoring their own services. Last week, the EU Commission assigned key applications subject to the guidelines, including Meta’s informing applications, WhatsApp and Courier.
That implies Meta should make WhatsApp work with other outsider informing applications like Sign and Message beginning in Walk 2024. That will permit clients of those applications to contact individuals on WhatsApp, regardless of whether they have a WhatsApp account — however WhatsApp clients can evidently quit. Cross-messaging features have not yet been announced, but WaBetaInfo claims that end-to-end encryption will be maintained.
Apple’s iMessage application isn’t (yet) one of 22 key administrations referenced under the DMA, so Google’s fantasy about having Apple support RCS informing may not occur soon. The App Store, on the other hand, will suffer. In iOS 17, third-party app stores and sideloading are said to be coming to Apple, and Epic Games and Microsoft are making their own stores for iOS mobile apps. At Apple’s iPhone 15 event on September 12th, when it will unveil iOS 17, we will most likely learn more about that.