WhatsApp Pay goes live in India now

Hacking software used Facebook’s WhatsApp to take over users’ phones, say sources. PHOTO: REUTERS. Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.

NEW DELHI, Nov 6, 2020, India Today. WhatsApp Pay is now available for users in India. The Facebook-owned messaging app began testing the feature with over 1 million users in 2018. However, only after two years, it was granted approval by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). The announcement came a day after NPCI said that it has given a nod to WhatsApp to roll out a UPI-based payment system in India, India Today reported.

Expressing his thoughts about launching WhatsApp Pay in India, Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg said, “We’ve been working on this with the National Payments Corporation of India, who oversee everything to make sure it’s secure and reliable. And we’ve built it using India’s Unified Payments Interface, which makes it easy for anyone to instantly accept payments across different apps — and for companies to provide people with great services.

“With UPI, India has created something truly special and is opening up a world of opportunities for micro and small businesses that are the backbone of the Indian economy. India is the first country to do anything like this. I’m glad we were able to support this effort and work together to help achieve a more digital India. I want to thank all our partners who’ve made this possible” he added.

WhatsApp has five partnered with five leading banks including ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank, the State Bank of India, and Jio Payments Bank to enable UPI payments in India. To send or receive money through WhatsApp Pay, you first need to have a bank account and a debit card.

So here is how you can set up WhatsApp Pay on your phone

— First, you need to update your WhatsApp on Play Store to get the Payments feature

— On your Android device, open your chat window on WhatsApp and tap on three vertical dots on the top right corner.

— You will find the Payments option on the list. Tap on it.

— Once the Payments window opens, tap on Add new payments method

— Tap on accept and continue to proceed further

— When you tap on accept, you will be taken to a new window with a list of banks that have partnered with WhatsApp

— Select your bank from the list and verify the account using your phone number. Remember to use the number you have registered with your bank.

— Tap allow to let WhatsApp verify your account and send texts to authenticate

— Once you enter the number, WhatsApp will verify with your bank and set up the payment.

— Hit done and access your Payments page.

How to send money on WhatsApp

— Choose the contact you want to send money to

— In the chat window, tap on the clip icon.

— Choose the rupee icon

— Enter the amount you want to send along with a note if need be.

— Enter your UPI Pin to process the transaction.

—Wait till you get a confirmation message on your chat window.

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