WhatsApp users might be about to get a very unwelcome update.
A new report has claimed that the popular messaging service could soon be flooded with ads thanks to a major new WhatsApp expansion.
The company is reportedly testing a new feature that would allow businesses to contact WhatsApp users directly via a message.
The news comes from Reuters, which claims that WhatsApp is looking for new ways to make its service more profitable.
It’s thought that the update could soon mean businesses would need to pay for the privilege of using WhatsApp to contact users directly.
However it says that the company is aware of the potential that the service could be abused by businesses to send spam to users.
WhatsApp is reportedly testing the feature already with a number of start-ups, one of which confirmed that a trial was underway.
Collar Inc, which makes smart collars for dairy cows, said that the system would help its work by sending an automatic alert via WhatsApp if a cow is not behaving normally.
The news comes weeks after a similar business-focused update was teased by WhatsApp.
The new “WhatsApp for Business” service would allow companies whose employees need to travel a lot, or carry out a lot of work using mobile devices, to stay in touch simply and easily using WhatsApp.
The new platform is being tested in India now, and will launch in the country soon, followed by Brazil and Indonesia, before hopefully spreading to other markets.
Facebook, which owns WhatsApp, already has a similar feature in its Messenger service.
This allows for specialised Messenger chatbots that contact users with promotions or other information that it thinks they may like.
However these have struggled to take off so far, with Facebook users complaining about unhelpful or intrusive messages.
The launch is the latest new service revealed by WhatsApp in recent weeks as the company looks to keep its users engaged with the app.
Earlier this month, the company rolled out its new WhatsApp Status feature to users across Android and iOS smartphones.
Much like Snapchat or Instagram’s Stories, WhatsApp Status lets users send updates using photo and video content to their friends.
Like Instagram and Snapchat, you can set up multiple updates, which will play one after the other, giving your contacts a full view of your day.
These can be further customised by adding emoji and text annotations, with a wide variety of colours available, but will disappear after 24 hours.
0 comments: