WhatsApp wants to make its app simpler, and the person now running its development says the company will lean harder on artificial intelligence to do it. Kunal Shah, who took over leadership of the app's development from Will Cathcart earlier this year, laid out the plan in a new note shared Tuesday.
The app has grown into one of the most popular messaging services in the world, used by more than 3 billion people. Along the way, it has picked up communities, channels, stories and business features. Many users find it hard to get around. Shah's note suggests the company sees that as the problem to fix.
What is WhatsApp changing in its app?
In the note, titled "My Thoughts 5 Months In," Shah said he has spent the last few months listening to users. What he heard, he wrote, was simple: help people stay close to the people who matter to them, and let them get more done on WhatsApp.
His first priority is the messages people already send. Shah pointed to the volume of everyday communication on the platform, saying people send more than 10 billion voice messages and over 4 billion stickers every day. He said WhatsApp will make voice notes, groups, stickers and video "simpler and more expressive" as the ways people communicate keep changing.
The second priority is less about chatting and more about what happens after the chat ends. Shah said too many tasks start in a conversation and then require several more steps somewhere else, such as paying a bill, borrowing money or staying connected while traveling. He said WhatsApp is working with financial services and telecom partners so that finishing a task feels as easy as starting one.
That plan matches a longstanding effort by WhatsApp to build an ecosystem where users can explore products and make purchases inside the app. Shah's note points to more of that coming, including bill payments, loans and eSIM purchases. The note did not name specific partners.
How will WhatsApp use AI in its app?
AI is the third piece. Shah wrote that AI should "quietly" find what users need, get things done and make sure they 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 already offers an AI assistant that can summarize messages and create drafts. The note does not say whether the company's Muse agent will be used to gather information and send reminders, and WhatsApp did not say how or when any of the new features will roll out.
Will WhatsApp messages stay private?
Shah also addressed privacy. He wrote that none of the changes matter without trust, and that WhatsApp must remain simple, reliable and private. Personal messages and calls will stay end-to-end encrypted, he said, and the company's quality bar is not changing.
Shah closed the note by tying the app's features to what happens offline. "What happens inside WhatsApp only matters for what it makes possible outside it: more time together, stronger communities, and fewer barriers between people and the lives they want to live."
This article was written with the assistance of AI.
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