There's a big WhatsApp shakeup coming next month, allowing users to send messages without an app

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.

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.

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