WhatsApp hosts second business summit in India; launches in-app payments, calling, ads in Status, and citizen services

A new calling feature enables customers to reach businesses directly through WhatsApp. Users can now place calls to larger businesses or receive calls from companies they have requested. Future updates will extend this to voice messages and video calls, opening opportunities for sectors such as telehealth. Businesses are also testing Business AI, which uses voice calling to provide automated customer support at scale.

Campaign management through Ads Manager

Meta announced that businesses can now manage campaigns across WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram centrally through Ads Manager. This integration allows companies to use the same creatives, budgets, and workflows, while AI-driven tools like Advantage+ will optimize campaign performance across platforms.

Discoverability in Status and Channels

WhatsApp is expanding discoverability features in the Updates tab, which is used by 1.5 billion people globally. Businesses and creators can now run ads in Status, promote their channels, and offer channel subscriptions. Brands like Maruti Suzuki, Air India, and Flipkart are among the early adopters. WhatsApp said these features will roll out gradually over the coming months, separate from personal chats and inboxes.

Flexibility for small businesses

Small businesses can now use both the WhatsApp Business App and the Business Platform simultaneously without changing their phone number. This allows them to scale by managing high message volumes through the API while continuing daily interactions through the app.

Expanding citizen services

WhatsApp said that 91% of online adults in India already interact with businesses weekly. The platform is also working with state governments including Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu to deliver essential services. Andhra Pradesh’s “Mana Mitra” chatbot now offers over 700 services in multiple languages, used by over 4 million citizens.