The entry into force of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA) has forced large tech companies to adapt their services to new lawsand Meta already seems committed to making WhatsApp compatible with third-party chats.
The most recent beta version of WhatsApp for iOS, as reported by WABetaInfo, features a section called “third-party chats“: This section will allow users to interact with messages from different platforms, such as Telegram and Discord.
WhatsApp's opening signal towards the DMA indicates a transformation in the landscape of messaging services, now required to be permeable and interoperable in compliance with the new European regulations.
Precisely to comply with the regulations, it is expected to become available in the stable version of the app by March.
Forced to collaborate
WhatsApp, as the main instant messaging platform, assumes the role of gatekeeper and, in compliance with the DMA, is required to ensure interoperability with other similar services.
This implies that WhatsApp users must be able to communicate with anyone, even with those who use competing services such as Telegram or iMessage and, as the new function being tested shows us, Meta is moving in compliance with its obligations.
The situation is more complex when taken into consideration iMessages of Apple.
The company is trying to circumvent the restrictions imposed by the DMA by announcing partial support for the RCS standard for iMessage.
This move appears to be an attempt by Apple to please regulators, while trying to maintain distinctions between blue and green bubbles for different standards.
The matter is currently under evaluation, and a decision on whether iMessage will comply with the RCS standard will be announced in the coming weeks.
Last September, the European Commission launched an investigation into whether Apple's enforcement will need to comply with new antitrust laws.
The possibility that Cupertino avoided the problem by claiming that the service is not widely available in Europe is worth considering.
The final decision on whether iMessage will comply with the DMA will be announced next month.
If the European Commission confirms iMessage's exclusion from the restrictions, Apple could avoid having to support third-party chats for European users.
Otherwise, the company would be forced to make iMessage compatible with other platforms.
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