In California, the subsidiary application WhatsApp, owned by the technology company Meta, has unveiled a new screen for a feature named “third-party chat” in the Android beta version.
As reported by WhatsApp Beta Info, this screen is not currently active or accessible to users. However, the title suggests that the messaging app is actively developing a feature that will enable communication with other messenger applications.
This WhatsApp beta feature emerges shortly after the European Commission designated it as a “gatekeeper” under the EU Digital Marketing Act. This legislation mandates that communication software such as WhatsApp must incorporate functionality for interacting with third-party messaging apps by March 2024.
The primary goal of this act is to prevent gatekeepers from imposing unfair terms and to ensure that access to essential digital services remains open.
Furthermore, the act stipulates that users should have the option to uninstall pre-installed apps or apps acquired from alternative app stores.
Both Meta and Microsoft are currently devising their own mobile app stores in response to this regulatory development.
Concurrently, the European Commission is conducting an inquiry to determine if Apple’s iMessage and Microsoft’s Bing search engine, H Browser, and advertising service are subject to the provisions of this new law.
