Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, said that India is doing a great job using messaging apps to get things done. He said this while talking to people in Mumbai through a video call on September 20th.
He was happy with how many people in India use messaging apps to talk to each other and to do important stuff. This is a big deal because India is a really big and diverse country.
People in India use messaging apps not just to chat with friends but also for work, school, and even things like buying and selling stuff. It’s like India is a champion when it comes to using messaging apps for all sorts of things.
Mark Zuckerberg saying this shows how important India is for messaging apps and how they’re becoming a part of everyday life for many people in the country. It also means that there’s a lot more potential for new ideas and growth in this area in India.
Zuckerberg also mentioned that his company, Meta, wants to create new features for its messaging apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram Direct Messages. They want to do this by paying attention to what people and businesses are doing with these apps.
In other words, Meta wants to make these apps even better by adding things that are useful and popular. They’re keeping an eye on how both regular people and businesses are using these messaging apps, and they plan to make improvements based on what they see.
“I am particularly excited to be hosting this year’s event in India, a country that’s at the forefront of a lot of what we’re going to talk about today”
Zuckerberg said during the event that also saw the launch of WhatsApp Flows, Payments and Meta Verified.
“Now, this is how we’ve continued to innovate with our messaging formats, our group chats and broadcast channels,” he added.
At the event, Meta also introduced a new feature for WhatsApp called “WhatsApp Flows.” This feature is designed to help businesses create special and personalized experiences within their chat conversations.
In simpler terms, WhatsApp Flows is like a tool that allows businesses to make their chats with customers more unique and tailored to their needs. So, instead of having a one-size-fits-all conversation, businesses can use this feature to provide customized and more engaging interactions in their chat conversations on WhatsApp.
“So, for example, a bank can build a way for customers to book an appointment to open a new account, a food delivery service can build a way to place any order from any of their partner restaurants or an airline can build a way to check in for a flight and pick up a seat, all without having to leave the chat thread,” the Meta CEO said.
In these business interactions, you can also make payments right within the app using WhatsApp’s in-app payment system. This feature is currently available in Brazil, Singapore, and now it’s also available in India.
So, if you’re in one of these countries, you can not only have business conversations on WhatsApp but also complete transactions, like buying products or services, without leaving the app. It’s a convenient way to handle both your chats and payments in one place.
“With payments in India, we’re going to support other payment methods as well, including all UPI apps. This is going to make it even easier for people to pay Indian businesses within a WhatsApp chat using whatever method they prefer,” Zuckerberg added.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, also revealed another feature called “Meta Verified Businesses.” This feature is meant to confirm the legitimacy of businesses by giving them a special blue checkmark, similar to what you see on verified social media accounts.
Verified businesses will receive additional benefits, including improved account support, protection against impersonation, the ability for multiple staff members to use the same account on different devices, and a unique WhatsApp website that can be found through web searches.
Initially, Meta plans to try out this feature with small businesses to make sure it works well before making it available to a wider audience. Right now, they’re still testing and fine-tuning it to ensure it works smoothly and provides real value to businesses.
