WhatsApp is also experimenting with a significant new feature that will enable users to send a message, photo, video, and documents to friends on other messaging apps without leaving WhatsApp.
Such a shift would be a giant leap in the way we talk, it would tear down the barriers between applications, and the flow of communication would be a bit smoother, but critical questions about privacy and feature trade off concerns will be raised.
The following 5 are important facts that you should come to know about this future feature:
- You can even interact with others on other applications. In beta versions (primarily in the European Union), WhatsApp customers can send messages to their contacts using other messaging services, even those who do not own WhatsApp. It would mean that you might be in WhatsApp and remain able to contact friends in third-party applications.
- Yet Not All WhatsApp Features Will Work On the one hand, simple text chat and the ability to send/receive photos/videos and documents are supported, but on the other hand, more specifics such as status updates, stickers, disappearing messages, and the ability to make group calls across applications are still inaccessible. Those whom you have blocked on WhatsApp may still communicate with you using the alternative application.
- On how these cross-app chats will look, you will have control WhatsApp will also leave you with the option to either combine these incoming chats with your regular WhatsApp contacts or place them in a separate folder. You will also be able to control notifications: you can choose whether to receive the messages of other apps or remain silent.
- Encryption will still live, and privacy will durably be application differentiated According to WhatsApp, these cross-app messages are to be encrypted end to end. Nonetheless, as this other message application can have different privacy or data handling policies, you must be careful when chatting between applications. In the case of a less secure third party, your messages still remain at a greater risk.
- Availability is limited, and voice/video later It is one of the features that is in experiments in a certain area (mostly the EU), and it is not yet implemented worldwide. Voice and video calls between apps, WhatsApp says, will arrive later—perhaps by the year 2027. And in the meantime, do not look for complete support everywhere.
WhatsApp users might also find this feature more convenient, as it will allow chatting between apps without having to do it.
It comes in especially handy when a large number of your acquaintances are abusers of various services. Conversely, what you do with your privacy might have to be reevaluated.
Although WhatsApp may continue its promise of end to end, the fact that you can have a conversation with a contact on some other app diverts you to the standards and safeguards that the other application has.
It is important to consider before turning on cross platform chat the apps that you are engaging with, the security of those apps, and whether you are comfortable with cross-app alertness and chat visibility.
The shift is more indicative of a greater movement towards messaging interoperability. When WhatsApp popularizes such a feature, it might transform the way we conceive of chats a single application, numerous networks.
Incremental rollout to varying degrees should be expected to continue through the next few months, and more features such as voice/video are to be added over time.
Cross platform chat might render messaging easier, though you are going to wish to monitor privacy and feature compromise during implementation.
