WhatsApp Reportedly Testing Feature to Allow Users to Make Bill Payments in India

The bill payments feature on WhatsApp was spotted in an APK teardown.

Written by Sucharita Ganguly, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 6 February 2025 19:17 IST

WhatsApp Reportedly Testing Feature to Allow Users to Make Bill Payments in India

Photo Credit: Pexels/ Anton

WhatsApp currently allow users to make UPI payments to other users or businesses

Highlights

The feature was reportedly spotted on WhatsApp beta version 2.25.3.15
The bill payment option is currently under development
Bill options may include electricity, mobile recharges, LPG payments, etc

WhatsApp is reportedly working on a new feature for users in India. This feature is expected to allow users to make bill payments via the messaging platform. In November 2020, WhatsApp introduced the option to send and receive money using the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) to select users in the country. Recently, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) removed the UPI onboarding limit for the Meta-owned platform, allowing it to extend its payment services to all users in India.

WhatsApp Users May Soon be Able to Make Direct Bill Payments

WhatsApp is working on a new feature that allows users in India to make bill payments, which was discovered during an APK teardown by Android Authority. The feature was spotted in development n the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.25.3.15. This suggests that the Meta-owned app is looking forward to expanding its financial services in the country.

The report indicates that the new feature will likely enable users to make direct bill payments through the WhatsApp app. The supported categories for bill payments may include electricity bills, mobile prepaid recharges, LPG gas payments, water bills, landline postpaid bills, and rent payments, the report adds.

The bill payment option is currently in development, but an empty activity for it has already been added to the aforementioned beta version of WhatsApp, according to the report. A release timeline is not yet known, but it is expected to be available to beta testers in India before it rolls out on the stable update channel.

The publication suggests that the platform may face some regulatory or logistical challenges before launching the service in India. WhatsApp currently allows users to make UPI payments to contacts and businesses.

The report also notes that this new feature was spotted after NPCI lifted the user onboarding cap for WhatsApp Pay, and now it can compete directly with dedicated payment platforms like PhonePe and Google Pay. Last year, the Meta-owned messaging app was spotted testing an option to allow users to make international payments from the app.

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Further reading: WhatsApp, Android, Meta, iOS

Sucharita Ganguly

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Sucharita is a writer with Gadgets 360 and is mostly found playing with her cat in her free time. She has previously worked at breaking news desks across organizations. Powered by coffee, The Beatles, Bowie, and her newfound love for BTS, she aims to work towards contributing to a better media environment for women and queer folk. More