• Cryptocurrency
  • Earnings
  • Enterprise
  • About TechBooky
  • Submit Article
  • Advertise Here
  • Contact Us
TechBooky
  • African
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Gadgets
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
  • African
  • AI
  • Metaverse
  • Gadgets
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
TechBooky
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Home General App

WhatsApp Plans To Make Money By Testing A Service That Will Allow Businesses Contact Users Directly

Paul Balo by Paul Balo
March 9, 2017
in App, Business, Mobile
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Following the backlash that WhatsApp received when it announced plans to start sharing user data with its parent company Facebook, it looks like the messaging service is now looking for other ways to justify why it was bought for $19b.  Reuters reports that WhatsApp is currently testing a system that allows businesses to message users (potential customers) directly.

The tests, which are being conducted with a handful of companies that are part of the Y Combinator startup incubator, are an important signal of how WhatsApp plans to make money from its massively popular service. WhatsApp has not developed a business model in the three years since Facebook Inc bought it for a hefty $19 billion.

Before now, WhatsApp used to charge an annual $0.99 membership fee as its main source of revenue but decided to abandon that once it got acquired by Facebook but there is a potential danger with the new system to make money and that’s spam. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that once that mass messaging door is opened to businesses, it may well become abused and what some companies have used VoIP based systems to achieve with respect to mass calls is amazing and I mean that in a negative way.

But WhatsApp says it’s working hard to make sure this doesn’t become a problem with the service. WhatsApp is also surveying users about the extent to which they talk to businesses on WhatsApp, and whether they have ever received spam, according to the documents.

As for when this becomes a real thing, one of the startups involved says the trial is in the early stages but is highly anticipated. Umer Ilyas, co-founder of Cowlar Inc which is one of the startups on the trial says his company wants to use WhatsApp to send automatic alerts from the collars directly to farmers if say, a cow is not behaving normally.

WhatsApp now has over a billion users and together with another Facebook product Messenger, they now have over 2 billion users between them process over 60 billion messages daily compared to the 20 billion processed by telecom companies daily.

Related Posts:

  • WhatsApp Is Testing A Feature That Lets Users Hide Their ‘Online’ Status
    WhatsApp Is Testing A Feature That Lets Users Hide…
  • WA_QR_CODE_VIEW_FOLLOW_CHANNEL_FEATURE_IOS
    WhatsApp Tests QR Channel & Sticker Pack Sharing
  • WA_PRIVATE_MESSAGE_SUMMARIZATION_META_AI_FEATURE_ANDROID
    WhatsApp Developing AI Chat Wallpapers & Message Summaries
  • takeapp
    Meta Invests In Singaporean Startup, Take App, A…
  • meta-ai
    Meta Adds 3 Practical AI Features to WhatsApp
  • whatsapp-updates
    NCLAT Lifts Ban on Data Sharing, Bringing Relief to…
  • WhatsApp Will Soon Let Users Edit Sent Messages
    WhatsApp Will Soon Let Users Edit Sent Messages
  • 486183897_17904898335107382_2822372040468292052_n
    Spotify Music Sharing Coming to WhatsApp iOS Status Updates

Discover more from TechBooky

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Tags: Acquisitionapple parkbusinesskotlinmoneymusic insightssolar powerstartuptizenwhatsapp
Paul Balo

Paul Balo

Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

Select Category

    Receive top tech news directly in your inbox

    subscription from
    Loading

    Freshly Squeezed

    • DOJ Reportedly Investigates Google’s Character.AI Partnership May 23, 2025
    • Sony Organises A PlayStation Event for June; A State of Play May 23, 2025
    • Microsoft’s New AI features in Notepad, Paint, & Snipping Tool Test Trials May 23, 2025
    • Bluesky Starts Confirming “Notable” Users May 23, 2025
    • Affiniti Raises $17M for AI-Powered Small Business Finance May 22, 2025
    • Absolute Zero’ AI Achieves Top-Level Reasoning Without Human Data May 22, 2025

    Browse Archives

    May 2025
    MTWTFSS
     1234
    567891011
    12131415161718
    19202122232425
    262728293031 
    « Apr    

    Quick Links

    • About TechBooky
    • Advertise Here
    • Contact us
    • Submit Article
    • Privacy Policy

    Recent News

    DOJ Reportedly Investigates Google’s Character.AI Partnership

    DOJ Reportedly Investigates Google’s Character.AI Partnership

    May 23, 2025
    Sony Organises A PlayStation Event for June; A State of Play

    Sony Organises A PlayStation Event for June; A State of Play

    May 23, 2025
    Microsoft’s New AI features in Notepad, Paint, & Snipping Tool Test Trials

    Microsoft’s New AI features in Notepad, Paint, & Snipping Tool Test Trials

    May 23, 2025
    Bluesky Starts Confirming “Notable” Users

    Bluesky Starts Confirming “Notable” Users

    May 23, 2025
    Affiniti Raises $17M for AI-Powered Small Business Finance

    Affiniti Raises $17M for AI-Powered Small Business Finance

    May 22, 2025
    Absolute Zero’ AI Achieves Top-Level Reasoning Without Human Data

    Absolute Zero’ AI Achieves Top-Level Reasoning Without Human Data

    May 22, 2025
    • Login

    © 2021 Design By Tech Booky Elite

    Generic selectors
    Exact matches only
    Search in title
    Search in content
    Post Type Selectors
    • African
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Gadgets
    • Metaverse
    • Tips
    • About TechBooky
    • Advertise Here
    • Submit Article
    • Contact us

    © 2021 Design By Tech Booky Elite

    Discover more from TechBooky

    Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

    Continue reading

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok