New WhatsApp head wants to make the app easier to use, give its AI more chops

Résumé détaillé

Kunal Shah said that AI on WhatsApp will remind people of their appointment than booking

WhatsApp has grown into one of the most popular messaging apps in the world, used by over 3 billion people. But with that growth, the app has also become complex, packing in features like communities, channels, stories and business features, and a lot of people find it hard to navigate.

Kunal Shah, who took over leadership of the app’s development from Will Cathcart earlier this year, now wants to make the app and actions within it simpler to use. In a new note shared on Tuesday, Shah said the company wants to make voice notes, groups, stickers, and video “simpler and more expressive.”

WhatsApp has long also tried to develop an ecosystem that lets users explore products and make purchases, and Shah’s note indicates more of that is coming, hinting at partnerships with payment companies and telecom providers to enable bill payment, loans, and eSIM purchases.

Shah also said the company wants to use AI to surface important information to users.

“It should quickly find what you need, get things done, and make sure you never miss a booking or an appointment. The best technology saves you time, so you can get back to the connections that matter,” he wrote.

WhatsApp currently offers an AI assistant that can summarize messages and create drafts. It’s not clear if the company will use its Muse agent to collate information and send reminders to people.

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Ivan covers global consumer tech developments at TechCrunch. He is based out of India and has previously worked at publications including Huffington Post and The Next Web.

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