WhatsApp to make connections richer, use AI to save time; privacy unchanged: CEO Kunal Shah
Mangalore Today News Network
New Delhi, Nov 11, 2026: WhatsApp will focus on strengthening personal connections, enabling users to complete tasks such as bill payments directly within chats and using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency, while ensuring that personal messages and calls remain end-to-end encrypted, CEO Kunal Shah said on Wednesday.
Shah, who took charge of the Meta-owned messaging platform in June this year, said he had spent the past few months listening to users and understanding their expectations from WhatsApp.
"What I heard is simple: help people stay close to those who matter to them, and get more done on WhatsApp. So that’s what we’ll build," he said in a post on X.
He highlighted that WhatsApp users send more than 10 billion voice messages and over four billion stickers every day.
Outlining the platform’s priorities, Shah said the first focus would be on making communication more engaging and expressive. WhatsApp plans to simplify and enhance features such as voice notes, group chats, stickers and video to help users communicate more effectively.
The second priority would be to make everyday tasks easier by allowing users to complete activities without leaving their chats. Shah noted that people often begin tasks through conversations but have to switch to other platforms to complete them, whether it is paying bills, borrowing money or staying connected while travelling.
To address this, WhatsApp is working with financial services and telecom partners to make such services more seamless, ensuring that completing a task is as easy as initiating it.
The third focus area would be artificial intelligence. Shah said AI should work in the background to understand users’ needs, help them complete tasks and ensure they do not miss important bookings or appointments.
"The best technology saves you time, so you can get back to the connections that matter," he said.
Shah noted that WhatsApp handles more than 100 billion messages and two billion calls every day. He emphasised that the platform would continue to prioritise simplicity, reliability and privacy as it expands its services.
"Trust takes years to earn and a moment to lose, and I don’t take that lightly," he said, reiterating that personal messages and calls would remain end-to-end encrypted and that the platform’s privacy standards would not change.
Meta appointed Shah, founder of fintech platform CRED, as WhatsApp’s global head in June. He succeeded Will Cathcart, who had led the messaging platform since 2019.
As part of the appointment, Meta led a funding round of approximately Rs 8,550 crore (around $900 million) in CRED, valuing the Bengaluru-based fintech company at Rs 43,239 crore (approximately $4.5 billion).