WhatsApp is constantly adding new features to the WhatsApp app and WhatsApp Business. In this live blog, we summarize the latest WhatsApp app and WhatsApp Business updates as soon as they are announced to keep you in the loop.
WhatsApp is a work in progress! As the Meta app is constantly adding features, upgrading old ones, and introducing new tools, it can be hard to keep track of all the changes. This is what this live blog is for!
As soon as Meta and WhatsApp announce new plans for the WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business updates, we'll be adding them to this live blog to keep you informed.
WhatsApp (Business) updates 2023
Update September 20, 2023
WhatsApp Pay now available in India
After Brazil and Singapore, WhatsApp Pay is now also available for all businesses in India. This was announced in Meta's Conversations conference on September 20 in Mumbai. This means that customers can now browse products lists, shop, and pay directly on WhatsApp.
Available payment options will be WhatsApp Pay, Google Pay, as well as all UPI payments systems in India. The Unified Payments Interface is an instant payment system developed in India by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) as a way to move money from one bank account to another using a single window.
Meta Verified is coming to businesses
Also during the Conversations conference in Mumbai, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the subscription bundle, Meta Verified for creators, will open up to businesses on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp soon.
With a monthly subscription, businesses will gain access to several premium features, such as:
- A verified badge confirming your business is validated and authentic
- Proactive impersonation monitoring for added brand protection
- Access to support and help troubleshooting account issues
- New ways to be discovered:
- On Instagram and Facebook, subscribers will be featured as a Meta Verified business, including appearing at or near the top of search results and as a recommended verified business to follow in feed.
- WhatsApp business subscribers will receive additional premium features including the ability to create a custom WhatsApp page that is easily discoverable via a web search, and multi-device with chat assignment support so multiple employees can respond to customers.
Meta Verified will first roll out on Facebook and Instagram. One single subscription starts at 21.99