WhatsApp has introduced a new feature allowing businesses in India to send authentication and login codes through its API to users, starting from July 1st.
This functionality, which Meta (formerly Facebook) previously rolled out for merchants in other regions last year, has now expanded to Malaysia in June and India in July.
The move comes as part of WhatsApp’s broader strategy to enhance user engagement and utility within its platform, particularly for business interactions.
A Meta spokesperson highlighted this development during the recent ‘Conversations’ event, emphasizing WhatsApp’s goal to facilitate seamless account verification processes directly through its messaging service.
“With the activation in India, WhatsApp aims to capitalize on the significant volume of one-time passwords transmitted daily by telecom networks, estimated to exceed 1 billion,” noted the spokesperson.
India represents WhatsApp’s largest market, boasting over 500 million users, making it a pivotal market for leveraging authentication messages and potentially generating revenue from businesses utilizing the platform for customer interactions.
The introduction of authentication messages aligns with WhatsApp’s ongoing efforts to refine its business messaging fees and expand revenue streams. It also aims to foster greater user engagement by habituating businesses and consumers to rely on WhatsApp for essential communication needs.
In addition to these updates, WhatsApp recently unveiled AI-powered features tailored to business needs, including enhanced advertisement design capabilities and improved customer support tools within the WhatsApp Business app.
