WhatsApp Users Might Have to Verify ID for Payments

WhatsApp users might soon have to verify their identities to make payments on the platform, according to an XDA report Monday (Oct. 25) pointing to new strings in the latest WhatsApp beta release.

WhatsApp Pay in India verifies the phone number linked to the user’s bank account to allow UPI-based payments, while Brazilian users validate their credit or debit cards to make payments on the messaging app through Facebook Pay. Neither require users to submit ID verification to make payments — for now.

But the XDA report notes that the beta version of WhatsApp v2.21.22.6 includes new strings that suggest that could soon be changing. XDA speculates WhatsApp might be launching WhatsApp Pay in a new part of the world and current users won’t have to verify their identities — or that the verification might be tied only to WhatsApp Pay users who want to receive money for business purposes.

Google Pay, PhonePe and other UPI-based payment apps don’t require users to verify their IDs to transfer or receive money, but PayTM and other wallet apps ask for know your customer (KYC) verification. A wallet feature for WhatsApp Pay would require users to verify their identities.

There’s been no word from WhatsApp on whether there will be a change in the ID verification process, and the new strings are still in beta testing, so there’s no timeline on when they’ll be rolled out fully — or if they will be at all.

Related: WhatsApp Plans Snapchat-Like Feature For iPhones

In July, WhatsApp announced it was working on new features to allow users to view photos and videos just one time, which would let photos and videos destroy themselves after a certain amount of time.

Unlike Snapchat, the new feature from WhatsApp’s iOS app will not indicate whether anyone has taken a screenshot. The new feature will allow users to send media, which will instantly disappear from their mobile phones. It will also vanish from the recipient’s phone once they open it one time.