Meta has announced a new feature for conducting conversations with third parties in WhatsApp and Messenger.
The change, which will apply to users in the European Union, includes a new option to put WhatsApp and Messenger messages in the same inbox as conversations with third parties or keep them separate.
The company will add new notifications to WhatsApp and Messenger that will let users know when they can link conversations from newly supported apps.
The company is considered a “digital gateway” under the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, which means it must comply with requirements to make WhatsApp and Messenger compatible with third-party apps.
At the same time, there are some hurdles the company must overcome, as other companies that want to integrate with WhatsApp and Messenger will need to use the same Signal protocol to keep messages private, and in a copy of the agreement that third-party apps must sign, Meta indicated that it will make the Signal protocol available to partners upon request.