Meta to Allow Third-Party Apps to Call WhatsApp and Messenger Users, But ChallengesRemain
SAN FRANCISCO – Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, announced plans to comply with the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) by allowing third-party messaging apps to integrate with its popularmessaging platforms, WhatsApp and Messenger.
The DMA, a landmark piece of legislation aimed at promoting competition in the digital marketplace, requires large tech companies like Metato offer interoperability between their messaging services and third-party apps. Meta’s announcement outlines a phased approach to implementing this feature, starting with the introduction of notifications and welcome interfaces for users to explore and enable third-party integrations.
We will continue to work with third-party messaging services to deliver the safest and best experience, Meta stated in a blog post. Users will begin to see third-party chat options as third-party messaging services build, test,and launch the necessary technology to make this a positive and safe user experience.
The initial phase will involve informing users about the availability of third-party integrations and providing options for managing incoming messages from these sources. Users will be able to create dedicated folders for third-party messages or choose to merge them into their primary inbox.
Meta plans to introduce group chat functionality for third-party apps in 2025, followed by the implementation of voice and video calling features in 2027. The company also intends to add rich messaging features, such as reactions, direct replies, typing indicators, and read receipts,for third-party chats at an unspecified future date.
However, the rollout of these interoperability features may not be universally embraced. It remains unclear whether major messaging providers like Viber and Telegram will support these integrations. WhatsApp’s reliance on end-to-end encryption for its messaging service poses a technical hurdle for interoperability. Additionally, Meta requires companies to sign agreements before integrating with its systems, and the details of these agreements have not been publicly disclosed.
Matthew Hodgson, founder of the open-source messaging protocol Matrix, has stated that Matrix will collaborate with WhatsApp on an experimental basis to enable end-to-end encryption.
While Meta’s efforts to comply with the DMA’s interoperability requirements are a significant step, the company has faced criticism for alleged violations of other aspects of the legislation. The European Commission has expressed concerns about Meta’s pay or consent advertising model, which allows Facebook and Instagram users in the EUto choose between a paid, ad-free experience or a free, ad-supported version. The Commission has determined that this model does not comply with the DMA’s regulations.
Meta’s commitment to interoperability is a response to growing concerns about the dominance of large tech companies in the messaging landscape. The DMAaims to foster competition and empower users by providing them with more choices and control over their data. However, the successful implementation of these interoperability features will depend on the willingness of other messaging providers to participate and the ability of Meta to overcome technical and legal challenges.
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