WhatsApp is testing changes that make it quicker to make payments in-app

WhatsApp logo (Image credit: Harish Jonnalagadda / iMore)

What you need to know

WhatsApp is testing a shortcut that will make it easier for people to make payments in-app.
The feature has been available to Indian beta testers for a few days.

WhatsApp is testing a change that will add a shortcut to make it easier and quicker to make payments from within the app.

First reported as being available for Android by WABetaInfo, it now seems the feature is also available to those testing the app via TestFlight as well — although only in India.

Here's how WhatsApp describes the new shortcut in the Android app:

WhatsApp is introducing a new shortcut to quickly send payments. Previously you had to open the chat action sheet in order to send payments, instead WhatsApp is now placing a dedicated button on the chat bar.

Now, a similar shortcut has also been made available in the iPhone app, too.

WhatsApp is working on the payment chat shortcut on WhatsApp beta for iOS too.
The shortcut is under development and it will be visible in a future update in India and Brazil 🇮🇳 🇧🇷 https://t.co/9n4dhWfgk8 pic.twitter.com/flk81NUAkaWhatsApp is working on the payment chat shortcut on WhatsApp beta for iOS too.
The shortcut is under development and it will be visible in a future update in India and Brazil 🇮🇳 🇧🇷 https://t.co/9n4dhWfgk8 pic.twitter.com/flk81NUAka— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) August 22, 2021 August 22, 2021

The new feature will make it easier and quicker for people to send money to friends and family in a way that's similar to Apple Cash, for example. There's no word yet on when the feature will be made available to people internationally, but it's likely that will happen before we see it go live outside of the current WhatsApp beta pool.

This move is just another example of WhatsApp trying to make itself into one of the best iPhone apps not only for messaging, but handling person-to-person payments, too.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too. Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.