WhatsApp opens up to rival chat apps
In the media image: Bolivia Inteligente on Unsplash
WhatsApp users can now send messages to people on other chat apps. Belle Beems, Assistant Professor of European Law, explained on the NOS news site that EU regulations require interoperability between different messaging services.
With a new function for so-called 'external chats', WhatsApp users can send messages to people who use a different chat app. The first app that can communicate with WhatsApp is BirdyChat, a small chat service from Latvia. The new European regulation, the Digital Markets Act (DMA), requires Meta to open up its services to competitors and offer consumers more choice.
According to Beems, the link between systems makes it easier to switch to a different chat app, because users can still reach each other. 'The idea is that chat apps will work the same as e-mail. It doesn't matter if you use Gmail, Outlook or another small e-mail service: you can always email each other.' The DMA should ensure that it becomes much easier to switch to another chat service, Beems says.
More information?
Read the full article on the NOS news site (in Dutch)