As of today, April 11, there is a difference News on WhatsApp.
Periodically, the popular instant messaging application suffers from a problem to update. According to the WhatsApp Help Centre, these are the terms and privacy policies of the service, which respond to two new EU regulations. Specifically as of today New minimum age To use the application and its functionality Compatibility.
Let's see in detail what changes to WhatsApp as of April 11.
WhatsApp news today: What has changed?
In accordance with the EU Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act, the changes to the use of the WhatsApp service starting today, Thursday 11 April, are:
- Update the minimum age to use the application;
- Compatibility.
The two new policies come into effect today across the European Union. Anyone who signed up for WhatsApp after February 15, 2024 has already accepted the new terms; Everyone will receive a notification of all news.
1) New minimum age to use WhatsApp
What is the minimum age to get WhatsApp as of today?
As mentioned earlier, the minimum age for creating a WhatsApp account in the EU has been updated, dropping from 16 to 16 years old. 13 years. In Italy, this limit was already in effect, so no changes are expected for Italian users.
Guardians of minors who have access to WhatsApp have the authority to report the account of the minor entrusted to them, through an email – addressed to WhatsApp – which must contain:
- Proof that the WhatsApp number belongs to the person reported, for example by submitting a phone 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.
2) Interoperability with WhatsApp
What is interoperability on WhatsApp?
This is perhaps one of the most interesting updates that Italian and European users will see starting from April 11. 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 job, however, It has not been activated yet. 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 terms as well as technical details set by parent company Meta. The estimated duration of the operation is approximately three months, according to unconfirmed sources.
The new menu item will be available in the app with an as yet unconfirmed name Third party chat. This, as we have already seen, is the first step in complying with EU digital markets law, in particular Art. 7 which aims to:
Make the core functionality of number-agnostic IPC services interoperable with number-agnostic IPC services
The number of other service providers offering or intending to offer such services in the Union and providing, upon request and free of charge, the necessary technical interfaces or similar solutions that facilitate interoperability.
The new law therefore requires “gatekeeping companies,” such as Meta, to have their applications interoperable with each other, otherwise they may be subject to penalties.
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.
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