Meta explains how third-party apps will hook into Messenger and WhatsApp
Meta has revealed more details about how third-party messaging apps can be interoperable with WhatsApp and Messenger. The company is being required to open up its apps to a certain extent to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a new European Union law that comes into effect this week.
“We think the best way to deliver interoperability is through a solution which builds on Meta’s existing client/server architecture,” Meta wrote in a blog post. “The approach we have taken in terms of implementing interoperability is the best way of meeting DMA requirements, whilst also creating a viable approach for the third-party providers interested in becoming interoperable with Meta and maximizing user security and privacy.”
Meta says it has been working on interoperability with the European Commission for nearly two years. To begin with, interoperability will need to support text-based messages and the ability to share images, voice notes, videos and other files. In the future, Meta will need to enable group chats and calling between WhatsApp and Messenger and third-party apps.
For the time being, third-party developers will likely have to use the Signal protocol to hook into Messenger and …read more
