Don’t panic – your three favourite apps aren’t about to be merged into one. You’ll still be able to enjoy Facebooking, Instagramming and WhatsApping to your heart’s content. The plan is simply to allow easier messaging between them. So for example, if you’re using WhatsApp, you can fire off a message to a Facebook friend, even if they’re not on WhatsApp themselves.
Facebook said: "We want to build the best messaging experiences we can, and people want messaging to be fast, simple, reliable and private."
Sounds simple, right? But when you think about it, there could be a lot of change behind the scenes. For example…
Better security for Messenger and Instagram
WhatsApp is an incredibly secure messaging platform, because it uses end-to-end encryption to make sure that just you and the person you’re messaging can read what’s been sent. Facebook Messenger and Instagram don’t have that level of security. But will this integration change things? Will end-to-end encryption be added to Facebook Messenger and Instagram to beef up their privacy? We hope so. It would instantly improve the security of millions of users, and that’s got to be a good thing, right?
What’s in a name?
At the moment, you don’t have to give a real name on WhatsApp. So if you value privacy, you can protect your identity. Facebook Messenger, on the other hand, asks you to go by the name you use in everyday life. And Instagram asks for your full name when you register. So the big question is, when the three messaging platforms are integrated, will WhatsApp users be allowed to remain anonymous? Not having to reveal your true identity is a big benefit for lots of people, such as political activists in countries with human rights issues. We wouldn’t like to see that change.
Could other apps follow suit?
If Facebook’s integration is a success, then you should probably expect other big companies to try and do the same thing. And we’re not just talking about a company integrating its own in-house apps. What’s to stop different companies hooking up to combine their messaging. What about Snapchat siding with Skype? Twitter teaming up with Tumblr, perhaps? Anything’s possible, so watch this space. When we hear more big news, we’ll let you know.
Have you got any questions on Facebook Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp or anything else to do with the wonderful world of messaging? Then post a reply below!
