WHATSAPP is about to undergo a major shake-up that will enable other messaging networks within the app.

Users can expect to see a new inbox option in their app in the coming weeks.

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The move to allow third-party messages within WhatsApp is a result of the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Within the DMA there is a series of new laws that technology companies will have to comply with in order to continue operating in the bloc.

One of these new laws means that tech apps, such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, owned by Meta, cannot be 'gatekeeper services'.

So-called 'gatekeeper services' are apps that can only be used together with other people using the same app.

Therefore, under the new rules, apps must be interoperable with other messaging apps.

This applies to all messenger apps, including iMessage, Telegram, Google Messages, and Signal.

WhatsApp has been working on its interoperability plan for more than a year and will reveal more details about the agreement in March.

“There is a real tension between providing an easy way to offer this interoperability to third parties while maintaining WhatsApp's privacy, security and integrity standards,” Dick Brouwer, chief technical officer at WhatsApp, told Wired.

“I think we're pretty happy with where we've ended up.”

How will it work?

In practice, a WhatsApp user will be able to send a text message to a Facebook Messenger user – and vice versa – without having to use the other app.

It will only be on an opt-in basis, according to Brouwer, who wants users to be able to choose whether to participate in third-party messaging.

“I can choose whether or not I want to participate in being open to exchanging messages with third parties,” he said.

“This is important because it can be a big source of spam and scams.”

WhatsApp users who enable cross-platform messaging will see a separate inbox at the top of their Chats menu for 'third-party chats', where messages from other apps will appear.

The reason third-party messages get their own inbox is because WhatsApp cannot guarantee the same level of security and privacy as native messages, says Brouwer.

WhatsApp prides itself on its end-to-end encryption: a security feature that scrambles messages to ensure no one can see the content.

Facebook Messenger also started rolling out end-to-end encryption to users in early 2023.

It is unclear which companies are already interested in Meta's plans.

Messaging apps that want to be interoperable with Meta's WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger will have to agree to the company's terms.

WhatsApp wants the messaging services it connects to to use the same signaling protocol to encrypt messages.

Apps are allowed to use different encryption protocols, as long as they 'demonstrate' that they meet WhatsApp's security standards.

The success of the shift will depend on whether other companies will join in – and what each messenger can agree on.

• Hamilton's Mercedes has struggled to keep pace with Red Bull in recent years
• An 'escape clause' included in the British racer's contract allows an exit in 2025
• Hamilton, 39, turned down a £40 million offer to join Ferrari a year ago

By Jonathan McEvoy for Email Online

Published: 05:05 EST, February 1, 2024 | Updated: 08:24 EST, February 1, 2024

• Hamilton's Mercedes has struggled to keep pace with Red Bull in recent years
• An 'escape clause' included in the British racer's contract allows an exit in 2025
• Hamilton, 39, turned down a £40 million offer to join Ferrari a year ago

By Jonathan McEvoy for Email Online

Published: 05:05 EST, February 1, 2024 | Updated: 05:47 EST, February 1, 2024

Kim Kardashian admitted that she regrets letting her daughter, North West, wear red lipstick in the past when she was only five-years-old.

The SKIMS founder, 43, opened up about the parenting mistake while promoting her SKKN by Kim launch with Bustle.

The reality star — who dropped the makeup line on Friday — was asked about her thoughts on the Sephora tween drama, where young girls are making a mess of the aisles inside the beauty retailer.

Although Kim revealed that she hasn’t, ‘seen all this Sephora drama,’ she discussed whether her own daughters, North, 10, and Chicago, six, are on that road when it comes to makeup. 

‘My littlest one’s too little and I don’t let her,’ the TV personality stated. ‘I look back and there’s times when I remember I let my daughter wear a red lip once for Christmas.’ 

‘Would I do that now? Probably not,’ the businesswoman told the outlet.  

The Kardashians star was referencing to the family’s annual Christmas party that took place back in 2018. 

At the time, the beauty had uploaded photos from the lavish bash that she attended with her now ex-husband, Kanye West, and three of their children: North, Saint, eight, and Chicago. Their youngest son, Psalm, four, had yet to be born. 

She received backlash for letting a five-year-old North wear the colorful lipstick, and announced shortly afterwards that the shade called ‘Classic Red Lip’ would be launching for consumers. 

Kim further defended her decision to allow her daughter to wear the lipstick, and penned on X, formerly known as Twitter, ‘She picked it though! It’s a special occasion!’ 

The following year, North once again wore a vibrant red tint on her lips while dressing up for Halloween. 

However, Kim had informed E! News in 2019 that the Flashing Lights rapper had banned his eldest daughter from wearing makeup. 

‘North is trying to get in on the makeup, but she’s being blocked heavily because her dad has stopped all makeup for her until she is a teenage.’ 

She further explained that, ‘It’s a big discussion, a big fight in the household right now but it is what’s best.’

‘I think as a parent you just learn and figure it out as you go and we realized we didn’t really want her to wear makeup at a young age but she sees her mom putting on lipstick and lip gloss.’

While recently talking to Bustle, Kim gave an update on North’s love for makeup and explained, ‘At least with my oldest daughter, she just likes to dress her friends up and do makeup looks, whether it’s like Pikachu or the Grinch.’ 

‘I don’t think she’s there yet to where she is going into Sephora and trying on stuff,’ the mother-of-four added.

‘We were at Saks in the makeup department the other night and she tested something but put a heart on her face with it. I’m like, I don’t think that’s really why you use eyeliner.’ 

Elsewhere in the interview, Kim expressed that when it comes to makeup, her daughters feel that it is simply a ‘fun game to them.’ 

‘It’s art for them to try to do makeup, which is so fun for me to watch. It’s like they want to play with their friends and do it, and then they want to just wash it right off.’

‘I’m down for the artistry. I think it’s fun when they’re trying it all and expressing themselves,’ the TV personality explained. 

On Friday, her SKKN by Kim line officially launched lip liners that come in 15 nude colors, 10 soft matte lipsticks and also a classic matte eyeshadow palette.

The new makeup launch comes nearly three years after the businesswoman ended her KKW Beauty Line.

‘I feel like my vision is finally getting realized,’ Kim told Bustle. ‘When I launched with the name SKKN BY KIM, I think people thought like, “Oh, it’s just skin care.”‘ 

‘But I always knew we were working on all of the products so that it could be everything, just all the essentials you need to enhance your best skin, your best self.’ 

When asked if she would ever pass down the company to her daughters, the reality star replied, ‘I think that they will have their own ideas of what they want to do.’ 

‘And if one of ’em wants to take it over, they gladly can. I would love them to be involved, but I also want them to do whatever makes them happy. And that could be totally not in the beauty business and that would be okay with me.’ 

While North might only be having fun with makeup at the moment, the 10-year-old also enjoys getting pampered and recently took to TikTok as she got a luxurious facial at a spa. 

Along with the new launch, Kim has been keeping busy and turned heads on Thursday during Paris Fashion Week. 

She stunned wearing a fitted, black dress that clung to her frame and contained cutouts throughout the fabric. 

The beauty wore the ensemble as she attended the Maison Margiela runway show with her sister Kylie Jenner and mother Kris Jenner. 

Earlier this week, the SKIMS founder also jumped onto her social media as she brought her fans along a quick tour of her $400,000 Balenciaga handbag closet. 

The post came shortly after Kim was named a brand ambassador for the Balenciaga – a little over one year after the label was engulfed in a so-called pedophilia scandal following an ad campaign that featured photos of children with bondage gear.  

A separate campaign included court papers as background decorations that eagle-eyed critics pointed out were from child sexual abuse cases. 

At the time, the SKIMS founder also released a statement condemning the campaign, but refused to cut ties with Balenciaga.

On her Instagram stories, the mother-of-four reposted an announcement from Balenciaga that read: ‘Today, Balenciaga names Kim Kardashian as a new brand ambassador.’

She included a quote from herself: ‘For several years now, Balenciaga’s designs have been a part of my many looks – and some of my most iconic fashion moments.’

‘This historic fashion house embraces modernity, craftsmanship and takes an innovative approach to design under Demna.’

‘For me, this long-standing relationship is built on mutual trust and a commitment to doing what’s right. I’m excited about this next chapter for the brand and to become their ambassador,’ she added.

By Lisa Edser for Daily Mail Australia

Published: 00:47 EST, January 14, 2024 | Updated: 00:47 EST, January 14, 2024

King Charles and Prince William are ‘scheming and backstabbing’ against one another in a ‘tussle for the spotlight’ after the Queen’s death, Omid Scobie’s Endgame claims.

Mr Scobie says the monarch and his heir are ‘pursuing selfish agendas’ and ‘one-upmanship’ that threatens their relationship, Elizabeth II’s legacy and the future of the Crown.

Scobie calls it a Shakespearean tragedy of ‘scheming and backstabbing’ between ‘the favoured prince and an unpopular king’. 

The bombshell book, released tomorrow, claims there is ‘increasing’ tension between Charles and William, fuelled by the King’s ‘jealousy’ of William and the public viewing his time on the throne as a brief ‘bridge’ to his son’s more ‘modernising’ reign.

He said amid these tension father and son ‘have already displayed signs that they are pursuing selfish agendas, a culture of coverups and PR trickery and family discord have taken over the House of Windsor’.

He cites the handling of Susan Hussey’s comments to a black British charity boss, where Prince William was quick to distance himself from his godmother.

He writes: ‘The father-son relationship was beginning to bristle with tension and one-upmanship, so William’s solo maneuverings around the Hussey trouble added force to friction. 

‘William’s Kensington Palace and King Charles’ Buckingham Palace are now hives of competing agendas and different ideas about how to modernise’, adding: ‘The tussle for spotlight has only heightened since Charles became King’. 

King Charles and Queen Camilla have turned a blind eye to their aides briefing against William and Harry if it helped their image, Endgame claims.

The Sussexes’ favoured royal reporter also alleged that William has openly said that Harry has ‘defected’ to America. Scobie also says William ‘disliked’ Meghan from the start and will not make up with Harry because he is ‘no longer useful’ to him’ as a helpful distraction or collateral damage’. 

Scobie has said this situation Queen’s life of public service ‘hangs in the balance’ – and he is damning of Charles.

Endgame claims that Charles has always put himself first. It says the monarch is ‘a stubborn eccentric who has spent most of his life waiting and planning for his ascension, even at the cost of his relationships with his own sons’.

He goes on: ‘The former Prince of Wales is not only far less popular than his predecessor and his successor, he is a thorn in the side of the institution. 

‘Charles knows his reign will be a transitional one. An intervening sovereignty that must happen before his elder son William, the Prince of Wales takes over at a far younger age to breathe new life into a desiccated monarchical system’.

Scobie also damns William’s treatment of Harry, claiming he no longer ‘needs’ his brother.

He writes: ‘Though they were remarkably close as they grew up, Harry’s life decisions and rooted in his ignited, newfound dedication to the Crown, William now considers his brother an outsider, especially since the release of his memoir. 

‘The heir doesn’t really “need” the spare any longer anyway, one source admitted to me shortly after the Duke of Sussex left Britain in March 2020’.

William ‘doesn’t think King Charles is a competent leader’ and was baffled that the King ‘lay awake any nights worrying about Prince Andrew’, Omid Scobie has claimed in his bombshell book End Game.

The book, which hits shelves in the UK tomorrow, delves into the Royal Family’s handling of Prince Andrew’s involvement with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. 

Before Prince Andrew was stripped of his military affiliations and patronages in January 2022, the author says King Charles and Prince William grappled with the best course of action.

A source close to King Charles said: ‘You’d find it hard to believe but [Charles lay] awake many nights worrying about [Andrew].’

According to the author, Prince William was ‘baffled’ by why his father was agonising over the decision – and wanted him to take decisive action. 

A source said: ‘William [doesn’t’] think his father is competent enough, quite frankly.

‘Though they share similar passions and interests, their style of leadership is completely different’. 

Scobie claims Prince William felt the Queen would be ‘soft’ on Prince Andrew unless he voiced his concerns directly to her.

The author says a family friend told him that Andrew was the ‘one who would make [the Queen] laugh, keep her company, and because he was always a little bit lost, she coddled him’. 

The author claims that Prince William put the plan to oust Prince Andrew into action with his private secretary as the late Queen and the then Prince Charles were ‘not ready’ to start the process themselves.

As Prince Philip was no longer there to ‘take charge’, Prince William consulted his team about ‘the Andrew problem’ and then set up a meeting with his grandmother and her private secretary in her residential quarters at Windsor.

After allegedly speaking with Prince William for over an hour, the Queen then phoned Charles in Scotland to tell him that they needed to strip Andrew of his titles and duties.

The author claims it was a’ genuinely sad’ moment for the Queen and a ‘gut punch’ for the family following Prince Philip’s death. 

Prince Andrew resigned from public duties in May 2020 before he was then stripped of his military titles and patronages by the Queen in 2022. 

Elsewhere in the book, Scobie claims William admired the Queen’s political neutrality and wants to mirror her reign more than Charles’.

In a scathing chapter dedicated to the future Queen, he branded Kate the monarchy’s ‘last shiny thing for many years to come’ and claims her workload is lower than other senior members of the Firm, and saying that she’s ‘technically a part time working royal’.

Known for his sympathetic coverage of Harry and Meghan, Scobie added that Kate isn’t known for ‘leadership and outgoing nature’ like ‘Meghan’, who was ‘another shimmering ornament in the royal family tree’ before she stepped down.

This, according to Scobie’s recollection, meant coverage of Meghan’s engagements during her short time as a working royal,  were ‘far less about fashion choices and more about her work or her role in the Firm’.

Scobie also claims that Kate ‘does not plan to increase her workload for 10-15 years’, or until her children reach adulthood,  and added that she earned the nickname ‘Katie Keen’, because palace press release mitigate her doing less by saying she is ‘keen to learn’.

In a clear swipe, Scobie writes Kate’s lifestyle is something most parents could ‘only dream of’ and that Palace aides were afraid to push her do to anything that ‘makes her uncomfortable’ before the Queen died.

He adds that the future queen has been through five different private secretaries in six years, because they all found the role ‘uninspiring and frustrating’.

In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America broadcast today, Mr Scobie was asked whether he knew who made the comments about Archie’s skin colour. 

He said: ‘I do know who made the comments about Archie’s skin colour. The names were mentioned in letters between Meghan and Charles that were exchanged some time after the Oprah interview.

‘We know from sources that Charles was horrified that that’s how Meghan felt. Those conversations were, and that he wanted to, sort of as a representative for the family, have that conversation with her.

‘And it is why I personally think they have been able to move forward with some kind of line of communication afterwards. Though they may not see eye to eye on it.’

Mr Scobie’s claims threaten to reignite the ‘royal racist’ row that came about after Harry and Meghan’s interview.

Meghan had alleged in the TV special that an unnamed member of the Royal Family spoke about ‘how dark his (Archie’s) skin might be when he’s born’.

But it is now being claimed that a second member of the extended Royal Household – who may not be a member of the Royal Family itself – also made similar comments.

The two people are not named in Endgame, which is subtitled ‘Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival’.

The book makes a series of claims about the royals and looks at its future following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

These include that William was involved in ‘things that have gone out about his own brother’ and that the elder brother ignored texts from Harry when the family were making their way to Balmoral before the late Queen died last year.

Among the other claims made in the book are that there is a rift between the King and the William, that Queen Camilla has ‘quietly thanked’ Piers Morgan for ‘defending the Firm’ and that a timid Princess of Wales has to be encouraged to perform engagements.

Mr Scobie added to ABC: ‘I think before people assume that I’m calling this the end of the Royal Family, I’m simply declaring that we’ve reached a sort of pinnacle moment where the royal family as we know it, is at stake.’

He also makes claims about Prince William leaking stories about Harry.

Mr Scobie said: ‘He’s sharing private information about his brother that ended up on the front page of a newspaper not long later. These are things that have cause irreparable damage in the relations between each other.’

Describing William as a ‘company man’, he said: ‘We have seen the emergence of a man who is much harder, who seems to have embraced and embodied the royal institution’.

The ABC report also said Harry is willing to end the rift between William, had tried to reach out to his brother and that relations with his father Charles ‘may be on the mend’.