New Delhi: WhatsApp is launching free cloud-based API services in an effort to attract more businesses to use the app, stated Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday at the company's messaging event. The messaging service, which is increasingly appealing to business users, is one of numerous platforms where Facebook-owner Meta has introduced additional retail and business-focused features. 


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At Meta's "Conversations" event, Zuckerberg stated that the offering would allow "any business or developer to easily access our service, build directly on top of WhatsApp to customise their experience, and speed up their response time to customers by using our secure WhatsApp Cloud API hosted by Meta." 


WhatsApp already has an API for businesses to connect their systems and engage in customer service chats on the service, which produces revenue for Meta. Meta, which paid $19 billion for WhatsApp in a landmark 2014 transaction, stated that companies would not be allowed to communicate consumers on WhatsApp unless they had agreed to be reached. 


WhatsApp also said on Thursday that it intends to offer optional paid services as part of a new premium service for users of its specialised business app aimed at small enterprises. 


Options to manage chats across up to 10 devices and customizable click-to-chat links that companies may put on their websites and share with clients are among the features that are still being developed. 


In a conversation with Meta Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg at the conference, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi revealed that a third of the consumers buying trips via WhatsApp in India are new customers. 


He added that the ride-hailing company, which launched its WhatsApp chatbot in December, is now intending to further customise the service, first with customers in and around Delhi and then expanding to places such as Brazil.