Meta has shared an outline on how it intends to follow the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), with one of the key changes being that third-party applications will be allowed to make calls through WhatsApp and Messenger shortly. By 2027, users and businesses will be able to use voice and video calls to and from interoperable third-party apps, changing the dynamics of Meta’s messaging services.
The Digital Markets Act is another effort to increase completion in digital markets aiming to address behaviors by large platforms. For Meta, this implies the incorporation of other messaging platforms into its own platform. Within the statement, Meta also clarified that it is actively planning the interconnection of both WhatsApp and Messenger. This is going to enable the user to exchange messages and call with one another no matter the services they are subscribed to or even third-party service providers, according to Tech Crunch.
Building Toward Full Interoperability
In the detailed blog post about its plans, Meta has shared when it is going to progress to the next level of AR/VR development. The first steps are to use full-page adverts of WhatsApp and Messenger to alert users any time a compatible third-party messaging service is found. This will enable users to start discovering third-party integration offers on the application and enroll for it through a signup process. Meta has also added an option to create a separate folder for these messages or to have all third-party messages in one inbox for users’ convenience.
Although messaging features are still under development, Meta aims to introduce third-party group chats by the end of 2025. However, as for 2027, voice and video calling will become a part of the integrated system that successfully incorporates multi-tasking facilities. Meta has predicted that this move will increase the ability of various platforms to interconnect while at the same time boosting security features such as end-to-end encryption in security users’ privacy.
However, there is still uncertainty concerning how many of the largest third-party messaging platforms will join the initiative. However, Facebook and other related applications such as Telegram have not at this time declared their support or involvement with the integration. And even if they do, technical problems related to the project may arise particularly in the encryption standards might cause a hitch. For instance, end-to-end encryption set on WhatsApp is very high and any third-party application that is to integrate with the platform has to meet this requirement.
Security and Rich Messaging Features on the Horizon
Another huge issue that Meta has to address is to make sure that the third-party messaging services that it will use will meet its security standards. Meta said that it will only partner with these platforms that will sign agreements and adhere to Meta’s rigorous encryption protocols. Another open-sourced protocol, Matrix, has already started working on the end-to-end encryption support for WhatsApp but it is still in its initial stage.
In addition to text and voice communications, Meta may have grand plans to include robust messaging capabilities on third-party apps. This means users will in the future be able to type indicators, read receipts, reactions, and direct replies on various messaging apps. These features will further enhance the messaging experience, they will make sure that the communication flow is as smooth as possible regardless of the used platform.
According to Meta, the said modifications will prove to offer a more satisfactory experience to the users. “We will continue to maintain cooperation with third-party messaging services to offer the safest and the best experience,” the company said in its blog. Regardless of the actual implementation by themselves, as we will witness different third parties testing and rolling out the interoperability features, users will start noticing options such as the WhatsApp button or the Messenger button on the apps they use.
DMA Compliance and Challenges Ahead
Meta released the updates earlier this week as a way of continuing with its operations in line with the Digital Markets Act which requires that big tech firms allow competitors access into their digital markets. The company has already been accused of violating some other provisions of the DMA. In January this year, the European Commission called the company’s ad model questionable, stating that the ‘pay or consent’ options for Facebook and Instagram users, whereby they can only either pay for an ad-free service or click ‘I agree’ to the ads, violates DMA rules.
However, the latest decision of Meta to support third-party messaging apps is also a step closer to the DMA vision. The next couple of years will be decisive as the developers will try to fit their platforms into WhatsApp and Messenger, while Meta will be optimizing its services.
A New Era for Messaging
WhatsApp and Messenger may be on their way to becoming fully interoperable with one another, although the path could be long, Meta has been taking baby steps towards making both apps open platforms. Voice and video callings by 2027 will be a revolution in the way users interact with the different platforms in communicating. As third-party services interact with Meta’s apps, the user will have choices and possibly a superior messaging experience. However, the journey will not be smooth, thus encountering setbacks most especially on encryption and security.
Therefore, Meta’s compliance with the DMA could pave the way for other tech giants to obey the same regulation and redesign the digital communication environment. However, currently, customers can expect to get enhanced, more versatile messaging capabilities (call-by-call).
