A new WhatsApp for Android beta update (version 2.23.19.8) indicated that the Meta-owned firm will add a new option in the form of a screen screen called Third-party chats. This was reported by WABetaInfo. In the beta release, the screen does nothing and is also not accessible by users, according to the same source. The title of the new screen is real evidence and marks the genesis of the company to open its encrypted messages app to cross-platform compatibility.
The beta comes just days after the European Commission confirmed that WhatsApp owner Meta meets the definition of a “gatekeeper” under the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires communication software like WhatsApp to interoperate with third-party messaging apps by March 2024. WABetaInfo tweeted a screenshot of the screen:
Beyond dictating that messaging apps must interoperate, the DMA requires that gatekeepers, among other things, let users remove pre-installed apps or shop alternative app stores. The DMA’s goal, per the European Commission’s FAQ about the law, is to keep gatekeepers “from imposing unfair conditions” and to “ensure the openness of important digital services.”
The European Commission is investigating whether Apple’s iMessage and Microsoft’s Bing search engine, Edge browser, and advertising service meet the bar for the new regulation. Both Meta and Microsoft are planning their own mobile app stores in response to the DMA.
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