WhatsApp shows you the nearby stores to chat with them

Everything seems to indicate that the famous WhatsApp platform has begun to challenge Google Maps, it begins to show nearby stores to be able to send you a text message with them.

Yes, the search for nearby stores is taking its first steps, although for now it is only in Brazil.

And it is also that WhatsApp promises to preserve the privacy of the user when the function is available worldwide.

The famous WhatsApp platform has begun to deploy the function to find small businesses that are nearby among a few users.

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The most popular messaging application promised this novelty in September as part of its strategy to turn WhatsApp into a shopping platform and serve as a link between consumers and businesses as Google Maps already does.

This is how the head of WhatsApp, Will Cathcart, has announced the launch of this new function.

They have chosen the city of São Paulo in Brazil to begin this change, because it is "home to millions of small businesses," as explained by Cathcart.

It should be noted that this new directory of companies within WhatsApp is still in the development and testing phase.

However, the announcement indicates that the novelty will be released worldwide in the coming months.

It promises to facilitate contact with nearby businesses without giving up the privacy of each user.

Above the initial wall of chats, the WhatsApp magnifying glass allows you to search among images, files and other elements that have been sent or received.

To this section would be added the directory of nearby businesses, being possible to search for restaurants, food stores or clothing stores to be able to communicate with them, as shown in this WABetaInfo image.

The Meta messaging application thus seeks to compete with other services such as Google Maps or TripAdvisor that offer this information, but adding the possibility of chatting with these companies.

If you feel like having pizza for dinner, for example, looking in that new directory you can locate nearby restaurants to reserve a table or request that the order be sent home via chat.

It is worth mentioning that this function is in addition to others that the messaging application is developing at the same time to achieve this objective of serving as a consumer platform.

Once the closest bakery or decoration store can be located, WhatsApp seeks to ensure that what is ordered can also be paid through its application thanks to a payment system similar to Bizum.

However, neither of these two functions is yet available for other states in the world.

Those responsible for WhatsApp deploy these news in different countries to test their usefulness.

In addition to collecting a large number of businesses that want to appear in the directory, to allow payments the application must reach agreements with the main banks to work with them as Bizum already does.