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Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 19-01-2018<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Messaging application\u00a0WhatsApp says it would begin allowing business accounts for the first time, a step that brings the free service closer to a plan that would make money for its corporate parent, Facebook.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some businesses already use WhatsApp, with 1.3 billion users, to answer inquiries from customers. Business accounts will allow them to set up automatic greetings, see statistics about their messaging and set up a profile page with hours of operation and other information,\u00a0<\/p>\n WhatsApp Chief Operating Officer Matt Idema says the accounts are aimed at businesses that receive a high volume of WhatsApp messages and need help keeping up.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat we saw was a need for businesses to have more efficient tools.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Idema indicated that WhatsApp intends to charge businesses in some form in the future, but says it was too soon to discuss when that would happen or what the future business services would look like.<\/p>\n Facebook bought WhatsApp, a pun on the phrase \u201cWhat\u2019s up?\u201d, in 2014 for $19 billion, attracted by the size of its user base. WhatsApp used to charge a $1 annual subscription fee but dropped it in 2016, leaving the service without a source of revenue.<\/p>\n WhatsApp says its business accounts would be available beginning on Thursday through a WhatsApp Business application in the Google Play store in Britain, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico and the United States.<\/p>\n The company says it plans to roll out the accounts to other countries in the coming weeks, and eventually to have a version for Apple iPhones.<\/p>\n \u00a0– Reuters\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n