WhatsApp Pay Rolls Out, Offering A More Convenient Way To Send & Receive Money
Image via WhatsApp
Following a new report made by WABetaInfo, it has been revealed that WhatsApp is rolling out a feature for quick and easy payments alongside disappearing chats and images.
Previously, users who wished to send payments via the chat platform had to open the “share file” option before initiating the payment.
Currently still a relatively new feature, WhatsApp Pay was first launched in India as a trial run in 2018. In February 2020, the app received the National Payments Corporation of India’s approval to roll out the payment service.
This in-app payment system runs on a Unified Payments Interface (UPI), where transfers can be made without having to provide the recipients’ bank account numbers. QR codes also make it possible for WhatsApp users to send or receive money even if the other party isn’t in their contacts list.
In the announcement of the feature, WhatsApp states that it hopes this feature will help to “address some of the key challenges of our times,” citing an increased “rural participation in the digital economy” in particular.
The shortcut is currently available to Android users located in India who have installed the 2.21.17 beta version of WhatsApp, and it’s been said that Brazil is next on the list. Some users have also reported that the button is showing up for them on iOS devices.
UPDATE: some people can see the payment chat shortcut on WhatsApp for iOS too! 😀 https://t.co/v2OZgP32ey
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) August 22, 2021
If met with success, it’s highly possible that more regions will begin to see the payment feature developed in accordance with local regulations.
[via Geo News, image via WhatsApp]
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