Despite WhatsApp working on its interoperability plan for more than a year, it will still take some time for third-party chats to hit people's apps.
Messaging companies that want to interoperate with WhatsApp or Messenger will need to sign an agreement with the company and follow its terms.
The full details of the plan will be published in March, Brouwer says; under EU laws, the company will have several months to implement it.
Brouwer says Meta would prefer if other apps use the Signal encryption protocol, which its systems are based upon.
Other than its namesake app and the Meta-owned messengers, the Signal Protocol is publicly disclosed as being used in Google Messages and Skype.
To send messages, third-party apps will need to encrypt content using the Signal Protocol and then package it into message stanzas in the eXtensible Markup Language.
When receiving messages, apps will need to connect to WhatsApp's servers.
There is some flexibility to WhatsApp interoperability.
There will also be the option, Brouwer says, for third-party developers to add a proxy between their apps and WhatsApp's server.
It is unclear which companies, if any, are planning to connect their services to WhatsApp.
WIRED asked 10 owners of messaging or chat services-including Google, Telegram, Viber, and Signal-whether they intend to look at interoperability or had worked with WhatsApp on its plans.
The majority of companies didn't respond to the request for comment.
Those that did, Snap and Discord, said they had nothing to add.
This Cyber News was published on www.wired.com. Publication date: Tue, 06 Feb 2024 17:13:05 +0000