WhatsApp: New version of app will work for landline numbers

The Business-focused messenger will make it easier for customers and companies to communicate

WhatsApp is building a brand new service that will completely separate to the regular version of the app.

A dramatically different version of WhatsApp developed specifically for businesses is currently in the works, and a number of its key features have just leaked.

One of the most interesting and useful of these concerns landline compatibility.

Small business owners that sign up to the app will be able to use WhatsApp Business and the regular version of WhatsApp as completely separate apps on the same mobile phone, Android Police has found.

That should make it easier to separate their personal and professional lives, which will help with organisation and save a lot of stress.

What’s more, they can link their company’s landline number to their WhatsApp Business app, saving them from handing out their personal number to hundreds or potentially thousands of complete strangers.

Messages and calls from customers will reach the landline number, but Business account users will be able to access them on their mobile.

(Android Police (Android Police)

To reiterate that WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business are separate, the business version of the app has a slightly different logo too.

It has the same general design as the WhatsApp logo, but the Business badge features a B rather than a phone icon, and drops the white border.

WhatsApp Business is actually quite similar to normal WhatsApp, but has two additional sections in the Setting s menu: Statistics and Business Settings.

The Statistics section currently shows the total of messages sent, delivered, read and received, but more analytics-type tools are likely to roll out in the future.

Business Settings, meanwhile, lets users customise their profile and set automated responses for customers trying to get in contact during out of office hours.

WhatsApp Business is designed to make it easier for businesses and regular users to communicate on the platform.

It’s currently only available for beta testers, but when it’s ready people will be able to place orders on WhatsApp, and even receive updates from companies, like delivery confirmations and flight times, through it.