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WhatsApp is planning a groundbreaking innovation: users will soon be able to communicate with contacts from other messengers. But a decision is still pending.
Hamm – WhatsApp, the widely used messenger service, is known for its regular updates and innovations. These updates, which are available for both iOS and Android users, often bring changes. Sometimes these changes are immediately noticeable, sometimes they remain rather inconspicuous, but are still intended to ensure an improved use of WhatsApp. In the latest round of WhatsApp updates, users of the messenger service are faced with a decision.
New update on WhatsApp: What this means for users
WhatsApp has been working on a way to communicate with other messengers for some time. The messenger service is even obliged to do so, as the Digital Markets Act (DMA) This means that in the future it will be possible to communicate via WhatsApp with friends and acquaintances who do not use this app but use another messenger, such as Telegram or Signal.
A new WhatsApp update leaves users of the messenger service spoiled for choice – and requires a decision. © Silas Stein/imago/Weronika Peneshko/dpa/Montage
Meta – Mark Zuckerberg’s US technology group, which also owns WhatsApp – is currently developing the necessary interfaces. In a Blog post The upcoming update and its impact on users are already described.
WhatsApp wants to enable chatting with users of other messengers – representations inevitably change
Essentially, WhatsApp users will have to decide how chats with contacts who use other messengers should be displayed. According to Meta, some WhatsApp users would like to “separate chats with third parties from their current inbox.” However, there are also users who “may want to combine all chats in a single inbox.”
In other words: Either the conversations with people who use messengers other than WhatsApp will be displayed in the chat list next to the WhatsApp chats. Or all conversations will be moved to a separate folder. Regardless of the decision, according to Meta, it should make no functional difference whether you write to a contact on WhatsApp as before or to a person who uses Signal, for example.
Meta provides an outlook: WhatsApp users will soon be able to start cross-messenger group chats
Meta says in his blog entry that emojis and reactions can be used in the corresponding chats. It should also be visible whether someone is currently typing a message or has already read a message. Just as has long been the case in the “normal” WhatsApp chat.
Looking ahead to 2025, it will be possible to start group chats across messengers starting next year. Two years later, voice and video chats across messengers will also be possible.
Date of the new WhatsApp update still unclear – other messengers must follow suit
It is still unclear when the WhatsApp update will actually be released. It is believed that this could be as early as 2024. However, it is important to note that the release of the update does not automatically mean that you will be able to chat with contacts outside of WhatsApp immediately.
The messengers mentioned, such as Signal or Telegram, also have to first provide an update so that their apps become compatible with WhatsApp.
