WhatsApp Payments rolling out to Android, iOS users; all you need to know to get started

WhatsApp commands a strong user base of 250 million across India. Introducing a person-to-person payment feature for all of them gives the messaging application an advantage from the get-go over other digital transaction applications.

WhatsApp Payments has been in works since last year and now, it's finally available for users on both Android and iOS. The payment option is still rolling out gradually and should make way to most users in the coming weeks.

WhatsApp Payments will enable normal users of the application to transfer money with the same ease as sending a text message. After the completion of the setup the user will be able to send other individuals using WhatsApp.

WhatsApp commands a strong user base of 250 million across India. Introducing a person-to-person payment feature for all of them gives the messaging application an advantage from the get-go over other digital transaction applications. To put things in context, Paytm has 180 million users in the country, whereas Google Tez, another UPI-based payment application, crossed 12 million users in India last year four months after its launch.

However, the option may not be visible to every user. Users that have received the feature can introduce it to others by making transactions with that particular person. Currently, the UPI-based payment option will not be available for merchant interaction and can only be used by individual accounts.

The user will have to link their respective bank accounts with the application. However, the WhatsApp number should be the same as the number attached with the bank.

The transactions in WhatsApp Payments will be made through bank accounts linked to Unified Payments Interface (UPI), allowing users transact between accounts of different banks. This works in the favour of the messaging application as transaction between different digital wallets is still not an option.

However, there is no word on utility payments coming to WhatsApp Payments anytime soon, which could give the e-wallets an edge over it. Users actively using the feature will be another factor that has to be considered after the launch of WhatsApp Payments.

The UPI-based payment feature has been spotted in WhatsApp beta version 2.18.41 for Android and 2.18.21 for iOS. It is available in the chats attachment menu along with Documents, Gallery, Audio, Location and Contact. Selecting the payments option takes the user to a disclaimer followed by list of banks. User can now choose from this list of banks the one to be linked to UPI. Users will have to create an UPI account, through UPI application or their bank's website, and an authentication PIN will if they are using the UPI payments platform for the first time.

Image: Twitter

Moreover, the WhatsApp payments feature seems to be coming exclusively to India. Even among beta testers, only a few can see the feature. There have been no confirmation of a transaction been made through the WhatsApp payment feature, though. Users have been complaining about problems with linking their bank accounts to UPI, which is to be expected considering the beta status of the feature. But its launch is expected to happen soon on both Android and iOS platforms.

Apart from this, the Facebook-owned messaging application is also reportedly working on a group video calling feature. The latest option has been seen on WhatsApp's beta version 2.18.39, reported WABetaInfo. But, there's no option to switch from video to audio call. You can add up only three people at a time.

WhatsApp is also planning to launch a sticker packs on its app, as seen in the Facebook messenger application. This will allow users to post stickers suiting their moods instead of only emojis.