WhatsApp May Soon Let You Pay Bills in India
WhatsApp’s next big feature for its largest user base, India, might be bill payments. An APK teardown by Android Authority of WhatsApp’s beta version 2.25.3.15 reveals that the platform is working on expanding its financial services in the country.
Currently, Indian users can send money to contacts and pay businesses via UPI (Unified Payments Interface). But soon, WhatsApp could allow users to pay bills directly within the app. The beta version includes references to several bill payment categories such as:
- Electricity bills
- Mobile prepaid recharges
- LPG gas payments
- Water bills
- Landline postpaid bills
- Rent payments
Although the feature is still in development, an empty activity for bill payments has already been spotted in the beta version.
Why This Move Matters
This development comes shortly after India’s National Payments Corporation (NPCI) removed restrictions on WhatsApp Pay’s user onboarding. Previously, WhatsApp Pay could only onboard users gradually, limiting its growth. Now, it can expand its payment services to all 532 million Indian users, putting it in direct competition with PhonePe and Google Pay.
India is WhatsApp’s largest market, and adding bill payments could be a game-changing move for Meta. However, since this feature was discovered during an APK teardown, there’s no confirmation yet on when it will roll out. WhatsApp may still need to address regulatory or logistical challenges before launching this service across the country.
Stay tuned for updates on this exciting development!
