Meta has discreetly updated its support pages to announce the discontinuation of cross-platform messaging between Instagram and Facebook contacts. As reported by 9to5Google, this feature will cease to operate in mid-December, though the exact date remains unspecified.
According to the support page, users will lose the ability to initiate new cross-platform conversations, and existing chats on Instagram will become read-only.
Meta has not provided a specific reason for the discontinuation of cross-platform messaging. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) mandates large messaging apps to be interoperable. In September, WABetaInfo reported that Meta-owned WhatsApp was working on an interoperability feature.
In August, Meta announced its intention to enable end-to-end encryption for Messenger users by default, before the year-end. Rob Sherman, Meta’s deputy privacy officer, stated that Instagram DMs would also receive end-to-end encryption once the Messenger rollout is complete. However, Meta has not clarified if the cessation of cross-platform messaging is linked to this encryption initiative.
The inception of cross-platform messaging occurred in 2020, with Meta subsequently enhancing the app over the past three years by introducing features like group chat. Surprisingly, the company has decided to terminate this functionality without prior notice.
