WhatsApp Business rolled out in select markets

Makers of popular instant messaging app WhatsApp announced the official launch of its new app for the business segment in select markets, including Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S., ahead of its planned worldwide rollout.

The addition of business profiles and new messaging tools aimed at business customers is part of the company's broader plan to generate revenue by charging larger enterprises for advanced tools to communicate with customers on the platform, as reported by TechCrunch.

The app, in its beta version, is aimed at smaller businesses and is currently available on Android.

Through this app, the makers aim to help companies better connect with their customers and establish an official presence on the platform.

The company confirmed that the new app will enable accounts to be listed as Business Accounts, which will, along the way, be converted to Confirmed Accounts, once the account phone number registered matches the business phone number.

Furthermore, businesses will only be able to contact people who provided their phone number and agreed to receive messages from the business.

The pilot program of WhatsApp business was initially launched in September 2017. However, since then, fake versions of the app have been doing rounds on the web, the latest version of which was available in November.

On a related note, WhatsApp Business is expected to be rolled out on other platforms and markets in the near future.