Pay back a friend with a WhatsApp message

MILLIONS of families who use the popular messaging service WhatsApp to keep in touch may soon be able to use it to transfer money to each other.

The app — which is owned by Facebook and has around 700 million users across the globe — is understood to be trialling a new payments service in India.

The closely guarded plan emerged after a test version of an update was leaked.

A similar tool already exists on Facebook’s Messenger app after being added in 2015. Mobile payments services have struggled in recent years against the might of Apple’s Apple Pay service. A number of banks have launched text-messaging payments services. But Apple Pay is used for 90 pc of all mobile phone app payments.

WhatsApp has reportedly hired payment specialists in India and the new feature will work off a widely-used digital payments system developed by a consortium of Indian Banks, called UPI. Pictures emerged of Whats App’s planned system yesterday on the blog Wabetainfo, which showed a screen with ‘welcome to WhatsApp payments’ on it.

WhatsApp says it will not comment on ‘speculation’. But a spokesman adds: ‘India is an important country for WhatsApp, and we’re understanding how we can contribute more to the vision of Digital India.

‘We’re exploring how we might work with companies that share this vision.’