True inclusivity: Soon, one could text WhatsApp users without having a WhatsApp account،
It's very annoying when you're dying to text someone and it turns out they don't use the same messaging apps as you.
– I have WhatsApp, Telegram and Viber. You?
– I am on Signal, Messenger and Direct.
– Whoa, it’s good to know you. Beat him!
– Yeah, same for you, buddy!
Instead of downloading and setting up a (yet) new messaging app, it might be great to text your WhatsApp friends from your Signal. It’s inclusiveness that we as a society should be striving for, right?
Well, WhatsApp is working on exactly that, apparently.
Enter interoperability!
The latest report from the always informative and very useful WABetaInfo The platform is about the latest beta version of WhatsApp for iOS (version 24.2.10.72) and the features it concerns.
The latest is a chat interoperability feature to comply with new EU regulations, and it will be available in a future update.
Interoperability means “the ability to work with other systems or equipment,” as the Cambridge dictionary puts it. Applied to the world of mobile technology, this means that it enables cross-platform communication and data exchange between two different applications.
“Interoperability allows someone using another messaging app, like Signal, to send messages to a WhatsApp user, even without a WhatsApp account,” the beta report said. This facilitates more inclusive and diverse communication channels, thereby improving the overall user experience. It is important to mention that users will have to maintain control over this functionality, as they will have to manually activate the interoperability service and will have the option to unsubscribe, as required by European regulations.
End-to-end encryption will need to be preserved in interoperable messaging systems, ensuring a good level of security for users engaged in cross-platform communications. After all, the idea is not just to connect the Capulets to the Montagues, but to avoid sudden tragedies like security breaches.
The EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) aims to regulate the behavior of large technology companies, particularly those seen as “gatekeepers” – WhatsApp is seen as such – that have a significant impact on the digital market. A key aspect of DMA is the requirement for these companies to allow users to communicate with each other using various applications.
Threads is testing something similar with Mastodon, as Zuckerberg explained not too long ago: “Starting a test where posts from Threads accounts will be available on Mastodon and other services that use the ActivityPub protocol . Making Threads interoperable will give people more choices in how they interact and help content reach more people. I'm pretty optimistic about that.