New EU rules mean WhatsApp and Messenger must be interoperable with other chat apps. Here’s how that will work.

WhatsApp will soon make it possible to chat with people who use other messaging apps. It’s revealed some more details on how that will work.

— Apps will need to sign an agreement with Meta, then connect to its servers.

— Meta wants people to use the Signal Protocol, but also says other encryption protocols can be used if they can meet WhatsApp’s standards

— WhatsApp has been testing with Matrix in recent months, although nothing is agreed yet. Swiss app Threema says it won’t become interoperable

  • 2xsaiko@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
    6·
    9 months ago

    I wonder what’ll come first, this or RCS on iOS?

    group chats will come years down the line

    Oh come on. (Though that’s fair enough, since coordinating groups including users from different services is likely a lot harder to get right.)

      • 2xsaiko@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
        2·
        9 months ago

        From what I understand, it’s implemented on mobile carrier level, so any phone or other device with a cellular modem connected to a carrier that supports it should be able to use it (edit: of course, ignoring insufficient access, at the very least rooted Android or some Linux should work). Can’t really find more specific details right now though. Here’s a library and sample client for it though: https://github.com/Hirohumi/rust-rcs-client

        Of course, this is only for clients, it’s true you can’t set up your own server.

        • smileyhead@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
          2·
          9 months ago

          It’s like with SMS, needs communication of the OS to the modem to the carrier’s server. And just like with anything carrier related the progress is very slow, no mobile phone even supports it (for now only Android with Google’s own app that connects to proxy to bypass the modem) and… is my opinion unnessesary.

          • 2xsaiko@discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
            1·
            9 months ago

            Carriers already support it, and I think the reason Google sends it through their backend instead of the carrier’s is so they can support their proprietary extensions (that’s my guess at least, and I think I read that the app can also use carrier services directly but I can’t find the text that said that anymore). And as far as I’m concerned that means there are indeed many phones that support it.

  • guyinachair@lemmy.worldEnglish
    52·
    9 months ago

    I can’t read the full article. I can already get Whatsapp/signal/matrix messages on beeper whats changing for Whatsapp?

    • Greg Clarke@lemmy.caEnglish
      14·
      9 months ago

      It’ll be end to end encrypted. As far as I’m aware, beeper needs access to messages send cross platform

    • GigglyBobble@kbin.social
      7·
      9 months ago

      Isn’t the just based on a matrix server connecting to all your accounts?

      What the EU forces them to do is to be able to send messages across service borders, so you could communicate with someone on WhatsApp, for example, without having an account there yourself.

      I do share the most upvoted comment’s skepticism though - Meta and Apple will fight this tooth and nails and make it so cumbersome (and opt-in, of course), it will have no relevance in practice.

      As a Signal user I’m also not happy that the very least I have to share with Meta is my phone number (that’s also criticism towards Signal though, I guess).