WhatsApp is already at work on chat interoperability as it prepares to comply with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.
The DMA requires services labeled “gatekeepers” — based on income and number of users — to allow for third-party interoperability. According to WABetaInfo, new builds of WhatsApp show the company is already working to comply with the regulation:
WhatsApp is working on a new section dedicated to the new regulations. Since it is still in development, this section is still not ready, it appears empty and it’s not accessible to users, but its title confirms to us that they are now working on it. WhatsApp has a 6-month period to align the app with the new European regulations to provide its interoperability service in the European Union. At the moment, it remains unclear whether this feature will also eventually extend to countries beyond the European Union.
The DMA could be the first step toward helping to unify messaging apps and services, giving users of competing platforms the ability to easily communicate with each other from the app of their choice.