WhatsApp plans separate inbox for third-party chats to comply with EU's DMA

In an interview with Wired, WhatsApp said that users will get the option to choose if they want other to contact them using other platforms

Meta’s instant messaging platform WhatsApp may interoperate with other messaging apps to comply with the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in the European Union. In an interview with technology news platform Wired, Engineering Director at WhatsApp, Dick Brouwer shared details on the plans.

WhatsApp has been working on a way for other messaging apps to interoperate with the service, to allow users to connect across platforms. However, it has not been easy for Meta owned WhatsApp to do this without compromising on its users security and privacy. Commenting on the difficulties faced by the company, Brouwer said, “There’s real tension between offering an easy way to offer this interoperability to third parties whilst at the same time preserving the WhatsApp privacy, security, and integrity bar.”

Speaking on how WhatsApp plans to allow interoperability without jeopardising privacy of users, Brouwer said that one of the core requirements will be users willingness to allow others to connect with them using third-party apps. “I can choose whether or not I want to participate in being open to exchanging messages with third parties. This is important, because it could be a big source of spam and scams,” he said.

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Brouwer stated that WhatsApp cannot offer the same level of privacy and security for third-party chats, thus the company plans to add a separate section at the top of the inbox for receiving messages from other platforms. “The early thinking here is to put a separate inbox, given that these networks are very different,” Brouwer said.

Brouwer mentioned that the full details about the change will be published in March and the company will have several months to implement it. He said that Meta would prefer if other apps use the Signal encryption protocol, which its systems are based upon. Apart from WhatsApp and Meta’s Messenger, Google Messages and Skype also use this encryption protocol.

WhatsApp will also allow other platforms to use different protocols if they can reach the security standards that WhatsApp outlines in its guidance. Brouwer said that there is the option to add a proxy between other apps and WhatsApp’s server which will give developers more “flexibility”.

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Brouwer stated that the company is currently working on the interoperability features and the level of support it will make available for companies wanting to integrate with it. It is also unclear which platforms have shown interest in connecting their services to WhatsApp.