Here’s how WhatsApp will work with other messenger apps

Thanks to messenger apps like WhatsApp, users can send and receive messages all around the world as long as they have an internet connection. The problem is that because there are so many messenger apps around, sometimes you might have to use multiple apps to chat with different groups of people.

Thanks to the EU’s implementation of the Digital Markets Act, apps like WhatsApp will soon have to ensure they play nicely with other apps. This means that WhatsApp will need to be interoperable with other messenger apps. In an interview with Wired, WhatsApp engineering director Dick Brouwer explains how that will work.

Basically there will be a separate inbox for messages from other apps. This will prevent WhatsApp users from getting confused. Also, it will be an opt-in feature. According to Brouwer, this is important because some apps might be more spammy than others, and WhatsApp wants to give users the option of whether they want to get that kind of spam in WhatsApp.

Another thing to note is that for now, it will only work with individual chats. So if you’re in a group chat on another app, that feature won’t be available for now. It also won’t cover calls, but another feature expected to come at some point in the future will. Expect these features to arrive in the coming months, so don’t hold your breath.