WhatsApp‘s next big coup is said to be support for cross-platform messaging. This would actually make it possible to send messages to contacts using third-party apps in the popular messaging app. Will the messaging experience change forever?
WhatsApp is the world’s most popular messaging app with over two billion users around the world. However, there are almost as many reasons to use another chat app such as Signal, Telegram or Facebook Messenger. So what if you could use your WhatsApp account to write messages to, for example, Signal users without leaving WhatsApp? This idea is no longer just speculation. A new update shows how cross-platform messaging is taking shape as a future feature.
It was already reported last year that Meta was working on cross-ecosystem functions for WhatsApp. And who is “to blame”? That’s right, the EU. This meta-project is a response to an EU law that requires large platforms – including messaging services – to introduce open and interoperable standards. Now a new feature related to these efforts has been discovered in the latest WhatsApp beta for Android, like WaBetaInfo has determined.
The feature is called third-party groups. This is essentially an extra area for chats with users who are on third-party platforms. It also looks like WhatsApp’s third-party chat feature will support group chats. However, what the feature will look like at launch remains unclear.
Is there a risk of group chat chaos now?
Group chats with users on third-party platforms should have various privacy features. According to WaBetaInfo, everyone, only selected contacts or no one will be able to add you to a shared conversation. This serves to protect privacy and security and should also be implemented in a similar way for individual chats with users of third-party messengers.
There is currently no confirmed list of supported third-party apps. However, an important requirement is that the platform must use the same interoperability protocol as WhatsApp – Signal would be a positive example of this.
In terms of functionality, third-party group chats should then support the same basic communication as individual chats. This includes exchanging text messages, voice memos and files such as photos, videos and documents. Other native features such as status updates, stories, summaries, and stickers are unlikely to be supported.
Availability of third-party WhatsApp chats
Third-party chat support is currently being tested on Android. When will it officially start and whether the feature will also be available directly for iOS? Unfortunately it is still unclear. In terms of availability, the feature is expected to be prioritized in the EU to comply with new digital regulation laws.
Would you chat with friends and family from other messaging apps on WhatsApp? Or are you actually quite happy to use different apps for different groups of people? Leave your opinion in the comments!
