Bengaluru, April 23: WhatsApp announced that people in India can now complete prepaid mobile recharges directly within the app. Powered by PayU, the feature is rolling out in phases across Android and iOS and will be available to all users over the coming weeks.
The feature allows people to seamlessly recharge their own number or that of friends and family members in just a few simple steps. People across India with prepaid connections on Jio, Airtel, and Vi can choose from a range of available plans and complete their mobile recharges directly within WhatsApp, making the process easy, and convenient.
Ravi Garg, Director, Business Messaging, Meta India, said,
“In India, WhatsApp is where people connect with friends and family — and increasingly, where they complete everyday essential tasks. By bringing recharges directly into WhatsApp, we are making it easier for people to stay connected without having to juggle between multiple apps. This is part of our continued effort to build a more unified experience on WhatsApp, where people can get more done in one place, in a way that is simple, reliable, and seamless.”
WhatsApp has also introduced a rupee (₹) icon on the home screen to make it simpler for people to discover and access the payments section within WhatsApp. Apart from giving easy access to the recharges, the ₹ icon provides a clear and familiar entry point for people to use UPI on WhatsApp and provide access to all metro services offering WhatsApp based ticketing by clicking on the feature. People can also click the rupee icon within the 1:1 chat threads while messaging friends, family and others to easily send payments using UPI.
“At PayU, we believe the best payment experience is one that is naturally embedded in the platforms where users already spend their time. WhatsApp is part of daily life for people across the country, and mobile recharges are a routine digital transaction. Bringing recharges to WhatsApp allows users to complete a task they perform regularly within an app they already have open—that’s what embedded payments should feel like. Our partnership with Meta reflects our commitment to making high-frequency transactions simpler, more accessible, and effortless,” said Hemang Dattani, Chief Business Officer, PayU Payments.
Steps to access and use the recharge feature
- Tap on the ₹ icon
- Select Mobile Prepaid Recharge
- Select the number (self/ family or friends)
- Confirm the operator
- Select your plan based on your mobile operator
- Select your payment mode (UPI, Debit Card, Credit Cards)
- Confirm payment
This launch builds on how WhatsApp is already playing a role in people’s everyday lives in India, from conversations and business interactions to payments and essential services. Today, people are using WhatsApp to book metro tickets across cities, pay bills, and access a range of citizen services through government chatbots, all within a familiar chat interface. With mobile recharges now integrated into the app, WhatsApp is extending this utility further, bringing another essential, high-frequency task into a single, seamless experience.
