After years of waiting and limited trials, businesses finally have their own WhatsApp solution. The company today launched the simply-named WhatsApp Business, available on Android devices as a free download.
The app provides some of the basic functionality you’d want from a business app. You can create a Business profile with additional information like a description, address, and contact information, and enable quick replies for answers to common questions. You can create greeting messages and view some simple analytics so you can see which messages are most effective.
According a WhatsApp spokesperson, the current feature set will remain free in the long term, but WhatsApp plans on charging for additional capabilities in the future. Basically it’ll eventually take on a freemium model, but at least the company doesn’t plan on taking away any existing features, and you are getting a fair bit of functionality to start.
The app is already up and running from the Google Play Store in Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S. The rest of the world will be able to access the app “in the coming weeks.”