Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp has announced that users can now have multiple accounts on one Android smartphone.
“What could be better than having a WhatsApp account? Of course there are two. Today we are introducing the ability to have two WhatsApp accounts logged in at the same time on Android,” the messaging giant said in a statement.
According to WhatsApp, the feature will be helpful when switching between accounts, such as business and personal. “Now you don’t have to log out every time, carry two phones, or worry about messages coming from the wrong place,” says the Mark Zuckerberg-led platform.
To set up a second account, users need a second phone number and a SIM card or a phone that accepts Multi-SIM or eSIM. WhatsApp users can open Settings, click the arrow next to their name, and click “Add Account.” You can also control privacy and notification settings for each account.
“As a reminder, only use official WhatsApp and do not download imitations or fake versions to get more accounts on your phone. Your messages are only safe and private when you use official WhatsApp,” the company says.
The announcement comes a month after WhatsApp announced that its users in India can now make purchases and send payments using rival UPI apps as well as debit and credit cards. “WhatsApp Flows gives companies the power to create customized experiences directly in chat threads,” Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg said virtually at the company’s annual Conversations conference in Mumbai. “A bank can develop a way for customers to schedule an appointment to open a new account, a food delivery service can develop a way to place an order at any of its partner restaurants, or an airline can develop a way to check in for a flight.” and secure a spot without having to leave the chat thread,” he said. The messaging platform has collaborated with fintech players such as Razorpay and PayU to enable payments.
The new feature allows WhatsApp users to shop using Alphabet’s Google Pay, Walmart’s PhonePe and homegrown digital payments app Paytm. “For payments in India, we will also support other payment methods, including all UPI apps. “This will make it even easier for people to pay Indian businesses within a WhatsApp chat using their preferred method,” Zuckerberg said.
In 2022, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) allowed the company to add up to 100 million users to its payments service WhatsApp Pay. That’s about a quarter of the total user base in the country. WhatsApp has over 400 million monthly active users in India.
According to Zuckerberg, India is a world leader in how people and businesses use messaging as a better way to get things done.
