WhatsApp adds a payment shortcut so you can send money faster than ever before

• WhatsApp Pay button is rolling out to Android users running the beta version of the app.
  
• It allows users to quickly send money to other WhatsApp Pay users via UPI.
  
• If you want to try out this new feature, you can enrol in WhatsApp beta to get early access.
  

WhatsApp Pay has been around for a long time now in beta testing, but it received a nod from the Indian government only in November last year. Despite this, the Facebook-owned messaging app did not make any major new changes to its payment service. That is finally changing.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a new payments button in the text box, which should bring more focus to the payments feature that has been around for a long time now.

The payments button is located right next to the attachments button in the text box in chats. Earlier, the payments button was hidden behind the attachments option.

According to the report, the payments button is available for Indian users with WhatsApp beta for Android 2.27.17 and later. It is still under development for iOS and will be made available later.

What is WhatsApp Pay?

WhatsApp Pay is a payments service built on the unified payments platform (UPI). It competes with the likes of Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm and others.

How to register for WhatsApp Pay

To begin, make sure you are on the latest version of WhatsApp. Check the Play Store or the App Store for an update.

• Open WhatsApp and click on the three dots menu at the top right corner.
  
• Now, click on ‘Payments’.
  
• Then, click on ‘Add payment method’.
  
• Now, select the bank that you have an account in.
  
• WhatsApp will then verify your phone number and show your bank account.
  
• Click on your bank account and then, click on ‘Done’.
  
• You will now be able to see your UPI ID, your payment history and your linked bank accounts.
  

How to send money using WhatsApp

WhatsApp allows you to send money only to those contacts that have registered for WhatsApp Payments. If you try to send money to a contact that has not enabled the service, you get an option to notify the user to enable payments to receive money.

• Open the chat of the user to whom you wish to send money.
  
• Now, click on the attachment button near the chatbox.
  
• Now, click on Payments.
  
• Enter the amount and you can also add a note for the payment.
  
• Now, click on the send button.
  
• Then, enter your UPI PIN to approve the payment
  

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