Meta Updates Plans to Comply with Digital Markets Act

Meta has announced an update on its plans to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a law aimed at promoting competition in digital markets. The DMA applies to Meta’s messaging apps, including Messenger and WhatsApp.

According to Meta, the DMA requires the company to provide users with the option to connect with third-party messaging services and apps that are interoperable with WhatsApp and Messenger. To achieve this, Meta will build notifications into WhatsApp and Messenger to alert users to these third-party integrations and to notify them when new compatible third-party messaging apps become available.

Meta is also introducing an onboarding flow for WhatsApp and Messenger that will allow users to learn more about and turn on third-party chat. The flow will enable users to set up a designated folder for third-party messages or choose a combined inbox.

In the future, Meta plans to launch group features for third-party chats and voice and video calling features under the DMA. Additionally, the company will bring “rich messaging” features for third-party chats to WhatsApp and Messenger, including reactions, direct replies, typing indicators, and read receipts.

Meta has stated that it will continue to work with third-party messaging services to provide the safest and best experience possible. Users will begin to see third-party chat options once the third-party messaging services build, test, and release the necessary technology.

The upcoming WhatsApp and Messenger interoperability feature is not without its challenges. Other major messaging operators, such as Viber and Telegram, may not support the feature, and technical hurdles, such as end-to-end encryption, may need to be overcome.

Matthew Hodgson, founder of open-source messaging protocol Matrix, has stated that Matrix will work with WhatsApp “on an experimental level” while maintaining end-to-end encryption.

While Meta has made efforts to comply with its obligations under the DMA’s messaging provisions, the company has faced criticism for violating other elements of the law.