Meta has updated its support pages to indicate that the company will no longer allow Instagram users to message their Facebook contacts, TechCrunch reported.
The company has stated that the feature will be turned off in mid-December, without giving a specific date. The support page states that although you won’t be able to start new cross-platform conversations, Instagram chats will be read-only.
Meta didn’t provide a specific reason for discontinuing the cross-platform messaging feature. The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires major messaging apps to be interoperable with each other.
Back in August, the social media behemoth announced its intention to activate end-to-end encryption as the default setting for Messenger users by the year’s end. During this announcement, Meta’s deputy privacy officer, Rob Sherman, affirmed that Instagram DMs would receive the same end-to-end encryption protection once the Messenger rollout concludes.
The company refrained from an immediate comment on whether the discontinuation of cross-platform messaging was tied to this particular development.
In a separate move, Meta also committed to revamping its account center, following the directives of the German antitrust body in June. This overhaul aims to empower users with greater control over cross-site activities.