Isolation is over. The latest published beta of WhatsApp for Android confirms that the famous messaging application is preparing to “open up” to other apps. This will mean that, from the moment this option debuts, you will be able to send and receive messages from users who do not have WhatsAppand failing that, use alternative tools such as Telegram or Line.
Today, the multiplatform concept It is not new. But although it is already accepted in other aspects of technology, in the world of messaging, companies are reluctant to do so. However, Meta is aware that it must comply with the new regulations established in Europe and, to do so, will include a new cross-messaging function. What can we expect from her?
Communication without limits
In update 2.23.19.8 of the Whatsapp beta for Android, as you have seen from WABetaInfo, there is a new screen called “Third-party chats.” For now nothing can be done with it and, in reality, what appears is the simple black background without any type of content. But you only have to add 2 + 2 to understand that this is Meta’s first step to incorporate into WhatsApp this function so desired by many users that will surely help them solve many problems.
WABetaInfo
@WABetaInfo
📝 WhatsApp beta for Android 2.23.19.8: what’s new?
WhatsApp is working on complying with new EU regulations by developing support for chat interoperability, and it will be available in a future update of the app!
September 11, 2023 • 10:12
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For WhatsApp This is a major change., but not as unpleasant as they might have imagined in their offices. After all, the European Commission has called the company and its messaging and communication tools a watchdog, a condition that forces them to make a series of changes. This honor will make WhatsApp face a modification that may never have seen the light of day under other circumstances. As established in the laws stipulated in the DMA (Digital Markets Act), Meta will have to have this function available by March 2024 at the latest. But we have the feeling that they will have it ready much sooner.
More changes are coming
That they have received the designation of vigilantes has other conditions that Meta will have to make sure to incorporate into their tool. For the European Commission, having chosen Meta and WhatsApp for this title is a way to ensure that that there will not be unfair conditions on the market and, furthermore, the most important digital services will be as open as possible. So, for example, Meta will have to make other changes to its products, such as giving users the opportunity to remove pre-installed applications or offering alternative stores for downloads.
This changes everything, since Meta will also have to work on its own mobile app store, something that Microsoft is also doing. But, for users, it cannot be said that it is bad news. On the one hand, being able to have cross messaging with other apps It will be a really useful way to simplify your daily life. If the differences in receiving and sending messages disappear, it will be much easier to work or communicate with friends, since there would be no need to have two, three or more applications that, in the end, serve the same purpose. Each user would choose the app they liked the most and then keep their communication channels open without problems.
What is said is that this new WhatsApp menu will have very limited functions. That is, they would allow you to send and receive messages, but not use the majority of tools and features available on WhatsApp. It would be like an emergency messaging system so you can talk to people who don’t have WhatsApp and vice versa, but never surpassing the experience that communication between two users who have this Meta app installed should offer. That way, possibly, the company would meet its obligations, but would not risk losing users.