Meta has finally spoken up about how it is going to make WhatsApp and Messenger interoperability work. This is coming right after the new competition rules that came into effect yesterday.
According to Meta, WhatsApp and Messenger will now be interoperable with third-party messaging apps in Europe. Once this change is in effect, users will be able to send and receive messages from other messaging apps that will enable this feature.
Meta finally caves in, as Messenger and WhatsApp interoperability is coming soon to users in Europe
“In year one, the requirement is for 1:1 text messaging between individual users and the sharing of images, voice messages, videos, and other attached files between individual end users. In the future, requirements expand to group functionality and calling,” said Meta.
However, you do have to understand that this WhatsApp and Messenger interoperability will only work if other messaging apps are also using Signal's end-to-end encryption. Meta is already using this protocol on both platforms, so it is not an issue for the company.
“In order to maximize user security, we would prefer third-party providers to use the Signal Protocol. Since this has to work for everyone, however, we will allow third-party providers to use a compatible protocol if they are able to demonstrate it offers the same security guarantees as Signal,” the company said.
Meta has even talked about how once any messages that contain video, images, or other media are shared. Third-party messaging platforms will be responsible for hosting the files that are sent by their users to users on WhatsApp or Messenger.
The company has also warned that it will not be able to guarantee what the third-party messaging provider is going to do with the sent or received messages even after the fact that end-to-end encryption is going to be in place. At the time of writing, we know WhatsApp and Messenger are already part of it, but we don't know what other messaging apps are going to join the fold. Whatever the case might be, we will keep you posted.
About the author: I have been tinkering with Android devices ever since the early days of the HTC Desire. Over time, I have grown a fondness for the ecosystem and now I cannot live without it. Although some might believe that I have sold my soul to Android, but I believe it is not the case. You can find me writing tutorials and posting guides on a number of different smartphones. When I am not writing here, I am wasting myself away in books, journals, or on Steam.
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