WhatsApp has rolled out support for QR based payments on the latest beta version of its Android app. A month and a half after it's launch, the messaging app seems to be making an effort to fix its UPI based payments service's woeful interoperability (a key selling point for UPI). How does it work? Users can now go to the 'Payments' sub-menu under setting and chose the 'Send Payment' option they will be given two choices 'Send to UPI ID' and 'Scan QR Code'. Choosing the latter opens up the QR scanner. We tried to use this with a QR code generated by Google Tez and it worked without any issues. The latest update by WhatsApp comes a week after the National Payments Corporation of India mandated that every UPI application should be able to scan BharatQR codes and respond to merchant payment requests. The NPCI had said that all banks running UPI applications need to adhere to such guidelines by April 16, failing which transactions will be declined for non-compliance. “Above interoperability features must be enabled by April 16, 2018 by all BHIM UPI apps. The other compliance as per earlier circulars shall continue to be applicable. PSP bank must decline such transactions from non-compliant BHIM UPI apps after 16th April 2018 proactively. NPCI reserves the rights to decline the transactions for such non-compliant apps,” the circular stated. Note that the new feature by WhatsApp is only limited to those who are on the beta version of WhatsApp and full compliance with NPCI's order will require the…
