Whatsapp, everything changes from April 11th

From today, April 11th, there are several news on WhatsApp.

Periodically, the popular instant messaging app undergoes an update. According to the WhatsApp Help Center, these are the terms and privacy policies of the service, which respond to two new European Union regulations. Specifically, starting today there will be a new minimum age limit for using the app and the interoperability function.

Let’s see in detail what changes on WhatsApp from April 11th.

WhatsApp news from today: what changes?

Per the EU Digital Markets Law and the Digital Services Law, the changes to the use of the WhatsApp service starting today, Thursday 11 April, are:

1. update of the minimum age to use the app;
2. interoperability.

Both new policies come into force today across the European Union. Anyone who signed up for WhatsApp after February 15, 2024, has already accepted the new conditions; everyone else will receive a notification with all the news.

1. New minimum age to use WhatsApp

What is the minimum age to have WhatsApp from today?
As previously mentioned, in the European Union the minimum age to create a WhatsApp account has been updated, dropping from 16 to 13 years.

Guardians of minors with access to WhatsApp have the power to report the account of a minor entrusted to them, through an email - addressed to WhatsApp - which must contain:

• proof that the WhatsApp number belongs to the person reporting it, for example by presenting a telephone bill;
• proof that the person is the legal representative of the minor, such as a copy of the birth certificate;
• proof of the minor’s date of birth.

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2. Interoperability on WhatsApp

What is interoperability on WhatsApp?

This is probably one of the most interesting updates that Italian and European users will see starting from April 11th. Thanks to interoperability it will be possible to send and read messages from other applications, such as Telegram, without leaving WhatsApp, and vice versa.

The function, however, cannot yet be activated. We need to wait for other third-party messaging apps that want to be included in WhatsApp interoperability to express their interest and accept the conditions as well as the technical details set by the parent company, Meta. The estimated time for the procedure is around three months, according to unconfirmed sources.

A new menu item with the as yet unconfirmed name of

Third Party Chat will be available on the app. This is, as we have already seen, a first step in compliance with the EU Digital Markets Law, specifically art. 7, which aims to:

Make the core functionality of its number-independent interpersonal communications services interoperable with number-independent interpersonal communications services
number of other providers offering or intending to offer such services in the Union, providing, upon request and free of charge, the necessary technical interfaces or similar solutions facilitating interoperability.

The new law, therefore, requires "gatekeeper companies", such as Meta, that their applications are interoperable with each other, otherwise they could be sanctioned.

How will this be possible? By encrypting the content via Signal, which will then be shared in XML files. As the changes roll out, the app will reveal more interoperability details.
We can’t wait to meet them.

Original article published on Money.it Italy 2024-04-11 07:36:00. Original title: Whatsapp, da oggi cambia tutto. Le novità dall’11 aprile