WhatsApp has started to test out an instant payment feature in India, with users that signed up to the beta getting access to the function on Android and iOS.

According to dailysocial.id, WhatsApp would be employing a simple Unified Payments Interface (UPI), enabling money transfers within seconds. 

The payments button would be visible in the attachments menu inside a chat, alongside the Document, Camera, Gallery, Audio, Location and Contact buttons.

During its trial run in India, reports say Android users with version number 2.18.41 have been seeing the new feature as a server-side switch, while iOS users saw the function in version 2.18.21. 

Read also: Facebook's Whatsapp is getting into digital payments in India

Those who are already using the UPI system need only to integrate it into their WhatsApp account. Meanwhile, new users of UPI need to authenticate their PIN and create a UPI account. Once set up, users can make transactions from their WhatsApp account. 

WhatsApp would be employing a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system. (WhatsApp via dailysocial.id/File)

Talks of Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp getting into digital payments in India began last year, following the country being chosen as a kick-off point. WhatsApp users in India outnumber those in any other country. The market in the South Asian country is also dominated by Alibaba-backed digital payments leader Paytm.

The beta phase signals that the messaging app is realizing its plan to become a mobile wallet, giving access to WhatsApp’s 200 million users when it rolls out worldwide. 

However, with a number of features being tested in the beta phase, it is still unclear which features WhatsApp will include in the final version. (liz/mut)