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WhatsApp launches new payment feature
WHATSAPP
June 18 update below. This post was first published at 09.30 EDT on Monday June 15, 2020.
WhatsApp has just pressed go on a big new feature: person-to-person payments. It’s just gone live in the past few hours, though only in one country right now: Brazil.
In a post on the WhatsApp blog, the company has announced that digital payments for people and small businesses have just started. This is far from the only update from the popular app – you can read more about recent improvements in Forbes contributor Zak Doffman’s excellent post here.
June 18 update: More details have since come to light about the payment system. For a start, the reason for Brazil being the first place to gain the capability is less surprising given the fact that it’s the app’s second-biggest market – it has 120 million users, around half of the country’s population of 212 million. Its biggest market is India, with 400 million users, around a fifth of the total 2 billion plus WhatsApp users.
Since the announcement, WhatsApp Chief Operating Officer Matt Idema in an interview with Reuters has said that expansion to other countries will come soon, which was not known when the service was announced.
Idema said, “We think we can help grow digital payments, help grow the digital economy with small businesses, and help support financial inclusion.”
While he didn’t specify which countries, Business Insider has claimed that WhatsApp may choose next to go to the countries where its user base is large. In 2019 the biggest number of users after India and Brazil were the U.S., Indonesia, Mexico and Russia.
Facebook has previously made clear it wants to make it possible for its users to send messages between its apps, which include WhatsApp, Facebook and Facebook Messenger, and when that happens, they’ll be able to send money between the apps as well, which will be a great benefit.
Idema also said that the roll-out may help those in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic: “We can’t have the kind of interactions with each other that we normally would, if you want to lend someone cash or if you want to buy something from a local business.”
The payments will be completely free for users, both for sending money to friends or to pay a business for goods or services. There will be a fee charged to business owners when a purchase is made. So, it was necessary to partner with a payments company. WhatsApp had said that it was working with Cielo, the largest payments company in Brazil, to process transactions.
Now we’ve learnt that since the news was announced of the service, Cielo stock jumped around 35% while rival payments companies’ stock fell, though by smaller amounts. Back to why this development is so important.
Well, Brazil is only the first step, obviously, and although no promises have been made of the feature making its way north to the U.S. or to other countries, it’s highly likely it will.
And it mirrors the way WhatsApp became so dominant in the first place: its multi-platform presence. Brilliant though the Messages app on iPhone is (and even though it’s probably about to see a big upgrade announced by Apple in the coming days), its best experience is across Apple devices. Features such as invisible ink text, animated balloons and more are only visible on iPhone and iPad, for instance.
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But WhatsApp? Well, that’s designed so it looks pretty much identical on every platform, so you don’t need to know which friends use an iPhone and which an Android handset before you send your message – everyone will be able to see it in the same way.
So, the addition of payments is a big change. Apple’s own peer-to-peer payment system, Apple Pay Cash, is only available between Apple accounts.
With Whatsapp’s digital payments, you’ll be able to make a purchase without leaving the WhatsApp chat. The company says that sending money to loved ones will be as easy as sending a message, pointing out that at the moment that will be especially important while people are separated from each other.
Initially, only certain debit and credit cards are supported, though the company says it has “built an open model to welcome more partners in the future”.
Security rests in the fact that you’ll need to use a six-digit pin or fingerprint (or other biometric authentication) to complete transactions.
The news is surprising because it had been assumed that WhatsApp would debut this feature in India as it has been testing payments there for some time.
The system is enabled by Facebook Pay, which is already live, in a small number of countries, including the U.S. and U.K. But its fully-featured arrival on WhatsApp will arguably make a bigger difference, especially when it arrives in more territories.
Visa also announced today that it is involved with Facebook to make the payments feature happen, using Visa Direct, the company’s push-payment technology and something called Visa Cloud Tokenization which is a security capability from Visa that removes sensitive payment information from transactions by converting data to tokens, which are then stored securely. Visa says this token framework technology removes risks around data protection and reduces unnecessary steps for the consumer.
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Thermometers have always been useful to have in the home, but now more than ever. As coronavirus continues to impact people around the globe, thermometers are a must-have for monitoring possible symptoms of yourself and your household. With fever as one of the hallmarks of a COVID-19 infection, having one of the best thermometers handy — one that you can actually rely on — is critical.
But as technology has improved, the number of thermometers you can choose from has only increased. In addition to traditional oral thermometers, for instance, you can also opt for ear thermometers or those that will measure your temperature by running the device over the temporal artery on your forehead. You can even opt for a no-touch forehead thermometer.
A member of staff wearing a face shield uses a laser thermometer to test customer’s temperatures in a Furniture Village store in Croydon, in south-east London on June 5, 2020, following the easing of the lockdown restrictions during the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. – UK retail sales dived by a record 18.1 percent in April with the country in coronavirus lockdown. Most shops will soon be allowed to reopen, as Britain — with the world’s second-highest death toll in the coronavirus outbreak — took its biggest step out of lockdown this week. (Photo by BEN STANSALL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)
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In a coronavirus information page on its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends no-touch forehead thermometers or temporal artery thermometers because they both allow for better social distancing and tend to be extremely accurate. Cleaning them is also easy, thanks to a quick swipe from an alcohol wipe or a cotton swag soaked in isopropyl alcohol.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to get a social-distancing-friendly thermometer for the home. If you simply need one to check your temperature or to make sure your kids don’t have a fever, there are plenty of outstanding (and sometimes cheaper) options from which to choose.
So, to help you through that buying process and find an ideal thermometer, we’ve compiled the following options. They all come with accurate readings, nice designs, and plenty of flexibility for home or office use.
Best Thermometer Overall
iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer
If you’re looking for a best-in-class option that should work in the largest number of use cases, consider buying the iHealth No-Touch Forehead Thermometer. The device uses infrared sensors that can collect more than 100 data points per second on the forehead to determine temperature.
It also comes with an oversized display with big digits, and works in both daytime and no light. The thermometer, which will deliver results in just one second, is powered by AAA batteries, allowing you to use it wherever you want.
Best Thermometer For High-Traffic Use
Equinox Digital Thermometer
The Equinox Digital Thermometer is another no-touch option that will give you quick readouts on a person’s temperature. In fact, it’s capable of storing up to 32 testing records at a time, which might make it extremely useful in high-traffic areas like an office. Better yet, at just one second, it’ll deliver results far more quickly than many other options in this roundup. The thermometer, which runs on two AA batteries, is a little on the expensive side, however, so keep that in mind before buying it.
Best Thermometer For Ease-Of-Use
Olangda Forehead Thermometers
If you’re looking for a thermometer that will make it quick and easy to see whether someone has a fever, the Olangda Forehead Thermometer is the way to go. The device lets you measure a temperature from between 0.5 to 2 inches away, and will instantly light up in green when temperatures are between 94.8 degrees Fahrenheit to 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit. A level higher than that will see the thermometer light up red, telling you the person may have a fever. Olangda’s device can store up to 20 readings at once.
Best Thermometer For The Whole Family
Femometer Infrared Ear Thermometer
There are times when you want a thermometer to do the work of analyzing temperatures for the entire family. And that’s where the Femometer Infrared Ear Thermometer comes in. The device features an oversized LCD display to make it easy to determine a person’s temperature.
It promises to deliver results in one second or less. But perhaps most importantly, it ships with up to 10 sets of ear probes, so you don’t need to share wax with family members. And if you’re concerned about object temperature, don’t be: the Femometer will tell you how hot objects around your house are, as well.
Best Thermometer For Oral Readings
Vvandr Oral Fever Thermometer
If a traditional oral fever thermometer is for you, consider opting for Vvandr’s device. It comes with a simple blue design with an oversized display for quickly determining what your temperature is. Beware, however, that while some other thermometers in this roundup can get your reading in just a second, the Vvandr option could take up to 20 seconds. However, it offers a long-lasting battery that will deliver 2.5 years of charge, and it’s quite accurate. Better yet, it’s nicely affordable.
Best Thermometer For Budget Shoppers
CKeep Oral Thermometer
There are times when you simply want to get a thermometer that does the job without breaking the bank. And that’s what makes the CKeep Oral Thermometer such a winner. It’s extremely affordable in the thermometer market and promises accuracy within 0.2 degrees of the person’s actual temperature. And although it may be a bit slower than temporal artery alternatives, at 10 seconds you won’t wait too long to get your reading. The Ckeep thermometer even features a memory function, so you can keep track of your temperature over a period of time.
Best Thermometer For Everyday Use
Rosdeca Digital Infrared Thermometer
Rosdeca Digital Infrared Thermometer is another easy-to-use option that will make for a great choice for everyday use. Best of all, it can be used both with ears or on the forehead, allowing you to use it however you wish. The thermometer comes with a fever alert, so you know for sure when someone’s temperature is over 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. And with 35 saved memory slots, you can keep track of several people’s temperatures throughout the day. If you’re looking for a device that can get the job done on several fronts, the Rosdeca Digital Infrared Thermometer is the way to go.
Best Flexible Use Thermometer
Vigorun Forehead And Ear Thermometer
Similar to the Rosdeca, the Vigorun Forehead and Ear Thermometer is a great choice for those who want flexible functionality. The device works with both ear and forehead measurements and can deliver results in just one second. And since it comes with an intelligent indicator, it’ll quickly tell you if you have a fever by lighting up in red or green. Add that to a storage pouch for easy travel, and the Vigorun Forehead and Ear Thermometer offers one of the most flexible options in this roundup.
Best Thermometer For Kids
Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer
The Exergen Temporal Artery Thermometer is one of the oldest temporal artery options in this roundup, but it’s also easy to use and quite accurate. The device simply runs across a person’s forehead and provides a temperature reading on its built-in display. That display, which can deliver both Celsius and Fahrenheit readings, lights up, so you can use it at night. And since it comes with a gentle finish, you can even check your child’s temperature without ever waking them up. Exergen’s device is a little pricy, however, so keep that in mind.
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