WhatsApp is testing contact-to-contact money transfers and multi-device support. The flagship messaging app is working on offering multi-device support for iPad and Android tablets as well as money transfers between friends.
WhatsApp has two important new features pending, functions that will mean a substantial change in the use of the most important messaging application. One of them is the payment system that countries such as Brazil have already been able to test, although it is not yet available in some countries. However, the beta version of this application shows that these changes are closer than they seemed.
Along with this novelty that would turn WhatsApp into a basic tool for thousands of small businesses, another novelty can be seen at the gates of its big launch, the multi-device function for iPad. Being able to use this application simultaneously on a wide variety of devices is starting to become a more complete reality.
How to send money via WhatsApp?
WABetaInfo echoes these two functions in testing from the Beta version for Android 2.21.17. As we said at the beginning, Brazil and India have been the first countries to have this possibility on their phones. They will also be the first to test this new payment button in chats.
The technology media explains that the beta version for India shows a new button next to the functions for sharing files and taking photos. Within any chat, it will be possible to share the location, a contact, a photo, or send some money.
The entry of this button into the app could be a major revolution. WhatsApp could extend this system to everyone, from allowing friends to exchange money, to pay for an order to a restaurant or florist.
At the moment, it is only a test phase that will not reach some countries, although the company’s intentions are clearly to extend this feature to everyone in the future. It remains to be seen when that happens, the banking entities that support the function, and the facilities or commissions it may have.
On iPad
At the same time, the messaging application is working on another change, perhaps more expected than the payment system. A month ago, the multi-device feature that had been talked about for months appeared in beta. However, it had quite a few limitations that cooled the announcement, one of them being the incompatibility with Android tablets and iPads.
NEWS: WhatsApp is finally working on multi-device 2.0, and you can use iPad as new linked device ☄️
Android tablets are also planned to support multi-device on WhatsApp for Android!It's under development and it will be released in a future update. Follow me to discover more 💚 pic.twitter.com/rND4xQfBDj
— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) August 20, 2021
Now a new version is starting to work with Apple devices and the company has promised that it will soon do the same with Android tablets. Through a QR code, users will be able to link all their devices under the same WhatsApp account, being the main one the phone where the SIM card is held with the phone number integrated into that profile. In this way, it will be possible to read messages on the tablet, computer, and other cell phones.
Both new features are available to a few users who have installed the beta versions on their cell phones. These test applications are more unstable and can cause system problems, but they give access to functions that no one else has.
Although they take time to reach the vast majority of users, they are a clear example of the future that awaits WhatsApp. No definitive date is known for the big launch, but it is easy to imagine the significant change they can bring about in people’s use of this popular application.
