An update from Meta on Friday highlights its strategy to adhere to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a European law designed to enhance competition in digital marketplaces. Specifically, the focus is on Meta’s messaging platforms, Messenger and WhatsApp.
In a recent blog post, Meta explains that the DMA mandates the inclusion of an option in Messenger and WhatsApp to enable connectivity with third-party messaging services and applications. Notifications within these platforms will inform users about these integrations and notify them when new compatible third-party messaging apps become available.
Moreover, Meta intends to introduce an onboarding process in WhatsApp and Messenger to educate users about third-party chats and enable their activation. Users will have the option to create a dedicated folder for third-party messages or opt for a unified inbox via this process.
Future plans from Meta include adding group functionality for third-party chats in 2025 and launching voice and video calling features by 2027 to comply with the DMA.
The company also aims to introduce “rich messaging” capabilities to WhatsApp and Messenger for third-party chats, such as reactions, direct replies, typing indicators, and read receipts, in the foreseeable future.
Meta assures its commitment to collaborating with third-party messaging services to offer a safe and optimal user experience. Users will have access to the third-party chat feature once the necessary technology is in place for a secure and positive user interaction.
While Meta progresses towards meeting the messaging-related obligations outlined in the DMA, it faces scrutiny for potential violations of other aspects of the legislation.
The European Commission raised concerns this summer regarding Meta’s “pay or consent” ad model, indicating that it may not align with the DMA requirements for EU users of Facebook and Instagram.
