Meta begins the first testing phase of making WhatsApp messages available on other platforms to comply with the new European DMA.
The latest beta version of WhatsApp (version 2.23.19.8) includes for the first time a window with the notification Third-party chats. According to WABetaInfo, that menu section is not yet functional. Users also don’t have access to it yet. The title does form an important first hint toward making encrypted messages available across other chat platforms.
The European Commission has designated six gatekeepers under the Digital Markets Act (DMA). These are companies that according to the EU are responsible for so-called core platform services. Within messaging platforms, only WhatsApp and Messenger are currently listed as gatekeepers. Apple’s iMessage will be analyzed over the next six months to determine whether it also belongs on the list or not.
A gatekeeper must make its platform available to third parties to guarantee fair competition. When they fail to do so, the commission can impose fines of up to ten percent of global revenue. In case of repeated violations, this can even rise to twenty percent. The list of gatekeepers is not definitive, by the way. There’s a chance that Europe will designate even more companies as gatekeepers in the coming months or years.
Earlier this month, WhatsApp also improved the quality of its photos and videos and you can now use multiple accounts on one smartphone. You can find all other recent WhatsApp updates here.