WhatsApp's Next Big Moves: Kunal Shah Lists 3 Priorities, From Payments To AI

CRED founder Kunal Shah said WhatsApp wants to improve voice notes, groups, stickers and video and use AI to help people save time.

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Simpler UI; Smarter AI': Kunal Shah is Planning a WhatsApp Upgrade
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CRED founder Kunal Shah on Wednesday spoke about three priorities for WhatsApp in a post on X, saying the messaging platform plans to improve how people communicate, reduce the steps involved in tasks such as paying bills and use artificial intelligence to help users find information and keep track of appointments.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Shah described WhatsApp as "a shared language, spoken by 3bn+ people". He said the way users communicate often shows WhatsApp what to build next. After listening to users, he said he heard a common request, "help people stay close to those who matter to them, and get more done on WhatsApp."

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"First, we want to make connections richer," Shah wrote. He said people send more than 10 billion voice messages and more than 4 billion stickers on WhatsApp every day. The platform plans to make voice notes, groups, stickers and video simpler and more expressive. Shah pointed to everyday uses such as hearing someone's voice, sharing a joke, making plans or checking that someone is safe.

"Second, we want anything you do on WhatsApp to be as simple as sending a message," he wrote. Shah cited paying a bill, borrowing money and staying connected while travelling as examples of tasks that can start in a chat and take several more steps elsewhere. He said WhatsApp is working with financial services and telecom partners so that "finishing something feels as easy as starting it". The post gave no launch dates.

The third priority is to use AI to make those experiences more efficient. "It should quietly find what you need, get things done and make sure you never miss a booking or an appointment," Shah wrote. He said the aim was to save users time so they could get back to the people they wanted to connect with.

Shah said WhatsApp handles more than 100 billion messages and 2 billion calls every day. He said simplicity, reliability and privacy would remain central to the app as WhatsApp builds new features. "Your personal messages and calls stay end-to-end encrypted," he wrote.

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"What happens inside WhatsApp only matters for what it makes possible outside it," Shah wrote, pointing to more time together, stronger communities and fewer barriers in people's daily lives.

ALSO  READ | 'Lived In Mumbai's 100 Sq Ft Chawl': The Humble Origins Of New WhatsApp Boss Kunal Shah

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