WhatsApp might soon use Meta's consolidated Novi payment system
When Facebook announced it would be called Meta forevermore (or at least until the next rebranding), it wasn't just renaming the company. It was also broadcasting its bigger and somewhat more worrying ambitions to take over the world through a metaverse platform. It did also announce that it would unify some of its brands, especially those revolving around its money-related services under Novi. Now the effects of those changes might be coming soon to WhatsApp, and it could have some repercussions for the messaging service's users.
As with any Facebook, now Meta, product back then, the social media giant's money and financial services were met with much controversy and scrutiny. Its attempt to launch its own cryptocurrency called Libra ended up renaming its wallet and service to Novi, and Meta is now putting all other payment systems under that single brand.
Today with Facebook becoming Meta, we're unifying our payments and financial services unit and products under the @Novi brand. Let me unpack what this will mean across @Meta. 1/7 pic.twitter.com/LkWkpMdTxn
— David Marcus (@davidmarcus) October 28, 2021
That could be a good thing for anyone knee-deep into Meta's ecosystems, particularly those that have been using the network's different payment systems on Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp. The effects of this unification, however, haven't been completely announced yet, but it seems that WhatsApp will be one of the first to implement it. At least according to the latest APK teardown of the WhatsApp beta app done by XDA.
The app revealed strings of text that indicated Novi integration into WhatsApp. It already has its own payment system and has been one of the key use cases of the encrypted messaging service, and Novi could end up replacing it. The text also suggests that, rather than being limited to the US and Guatemala the way Novi is, the feature could be used to send money to other WhatsApp users around the world.
That convenience, however, would require something new from WhatsApp users. Novi integration might finally justify Meta's delayed identity verification plans since such documentation would be legally required in some countries. Hopefully, however, WhatsApp will make this optional and apply only for those who will be using Novi to send money.