WhatsApp is preparing to introduce payments to its messaging
app, making it the latest service to let users transfer money to one another
with a text.
A beta version of WhatsApp's next update revealed the
service could soon support payments. Pictures emerged of a "Welcome to
WhatsApp Payments" screen, which was discovered by the blog WABetaInfo.
WhatsApp, which has more than a billion users a day, is
trialing "immediate bank to bank transfer with UPI". UPI, or Unified
Payments Interface, is a payments system run by the Reserve Bank of India,
which appears to confirm reports that the payments service would be coming to
India first.
It is not clear when WhatsApp payments might be made
available in the UK.
An initial release in India, where WhatsApp has been
recruiting local payment app experts, would give around 200 million users the
ability to transfer money through the app.
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, has offered peer-to-peer
payments on its stand alone Messenger app since 2015. Apple has also been working
on its own peer-to-peer payments for its iMessage app, which it is expected to
launch with iOS 11.
WhatsApp's biggest competition in India will be from Chinese
eCommerce giant Alibaba, which owns payments startup PayTM.
WhatsApp recently said it would be adding a host of new
features after it reached the one billion daily users milestone. The company
said: "We’re committed more than ever to bringing you more useful features
to enjoy, while delivering the reliability, simplicity, and security you expect
with WhatsApp."
Other new WhatsApp features have included trials of the
ability to "unsend" messages, which would let users recall messages
sent within five minutes, offering a way to prevent embarrassment over mistaken
texts.
Other hidden gems on the messaging service include a
typerwriter font, bold, italics and strikethrough and the ability to share
files automatically from iCloud and Google Drive.
