Rita Deutschbein Managing Editor

March 7, 2024, 3:02 pm | Read time: 5 minutes

The EU Parliament passed the so-called “Digital Markets Act” (DMA) in July 2022. The law forces the messenger to open up to other programs, allowing WhatsApp messages to be sent with other messengers such as Telegram, Signal, or Facebook Messenger. Therefore, to communicate with other WhatsApp users, you no longer necessarily need an account with the service. WhatsApp has long been working on implementing the so-called “interoperability.” Now that the DMA is in effect in Europe, what is the current status with WhatsApp?

What does the opening of WhatsApp and other messengers mean for security?

As early as 2021, the Federal Network Agency considered cross-provider messenger usage. However, it was long unclear how this would be implemented. One issue is end-to-end encryption, which WhatsApp and other messengers use to secure their chats. Experts warn of security problems due to the EU-enforced interoperability. Some even saw the opening of messengers while maintaining encryption as impossible. The exact implementation of the new EU regulation still needs to be clarified in detail. However, the EU emphasizes that all existing privacy standards and encryptions must be maintained.

Read also: Signal, Threema, Telegram, and others–the best alternatives to WhatsApp

EU law forces WhatsApp to act

WhatsApp is not voluntarily implementing the opening requirements but is obligated to do so due to the EU regulation. The messenger is considered a gatekeeper due to its large reach and must open up to competitors. However, such a significant adjustment also takes time. Nearly two years passed from when the new regulation was adopted in summer 2022 until it took effect on March 7, 2024. During this time, WhatsApp has been working on the implementation, according to its own statements. “We have made significant changes to WhatsApp and Messenger (from Facebook, ed.) to enable interoperability with third-party messaging services,” writes Meta in its Engineering Blog.

WABetaInfo discovered in September 2023 that the messenger had already made significant progress in implementation. “Third-party chat support is in development and will be available in a future app update,” the website stated. Non-WhatsApp chats could then be found in a new section called Third-Party Chats. However, the exact date when the messenger will open its doors to competitors was not yet determined.

Today, however, Meta provided a small insight into the current status. The company has published the WhatsApp reference offer for third parties, outlining what is required to collaborate with the service. The reference offer for Messenger will follow in due course.

Meta must be ready to enable interoperability with other services within three months of receiving a request, according to the company. However, it may take longer for the functionality to be ready for public use. One of the biggest challenges, according to Meta, is maintaining existing security requirements. Both WhatsApp and Messenger use the proven Signal Protocol as the basis for their encryption and prefer its use by third parties. “Since this must work for everyone, we allow third parties to use a compatible protocol if they can demonstrate that it offers the same security guarantees as Signal,” Meta stated.

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Gradual implementation planned?

It is possible that the opening of WhatsApp to other chat services could also occur gradually. The same applies in reverse, of course. According to the portal Netzpolitik, initially, chat between two users across messenger boundaries will likely be possible. The transition for group chats or even voice messages and video calls will occur significantly later. According to ZDF, WhatsApp and Facebook have a two-year transition period, and WhatsApp group chats even have four years.

Small providers exempt

Although WhatsApp is often mentioned in connection with the EU-mandated interoperability, the change applies to all major messengers. The chairman of the Left Party, Martin Schirdewan, calls the EU regulation an opportunity to “clean up the internet and combat digital monopolies.” EU lawmaker Patrick Breyer describes the initiative similarly. For the first time, users have a real choice of which messenger they want to use. Other messengers have the chance to compete with the dominant WhatsApp.

However, not all messengers are required to open up to WhatsApp or other providers. Smaller services, such as the Swiss company Threema, already stated in summer 2022 that message exchange is “not interesting for them for various reasons.” Threema CEO Martin Blatter is particularly focused on the anonymity and security of his users. He does not want the data to be seen by the Meta group, which includes WhatsApp and Facebook. At the same time, he sees the concept of Threema threatened by the required interoperability. The service is paid, but it is strong in many social groups. If users can now also be active in these groups via WhatsApp without having to pay for Threema, then “people will stay with WhatsApp,” Blatter told Netzpolitik.