You can now use WhatsApp to send and receive money in the US — but there's a catch

What you need to know

• WhatsApp has partnered with Novi to test a new payments feature in the U.S.
• It is now possible to send and receive payments within a WhatsApp chat using your Novi digital wallet.
• You can access the feature from the paper clip icon on Android devices.

WhatsApp has started testing a new feature that makes it possible for users in the U.S. to send and receive money. The popular messaging app has teamed up with Novi, Meta's digital wallet, to launch the new pilot.

To send money using your Novi digital wallet, all you have to do is tap the paper clip icon within a chat on the best Android phones. Next, select "Payments" and follow the on-screen instructions to log into your Novi account. You can also make a new account if you don't have an existing account.

Once you're done, you can start sending money to your contacts "as easily as sending a message." When you add money to your Novi wallet, it is converted into USDP (Pax Dollar), a digital currency issued by Paxos Trust Company.

There are no limits on how frequently you can send money using Novi, and there are also no fees for sending or receiving payments. Meta's Novi digital wallet was launched last year to help users send and hold Diem digital currencies. However, it was only in October that Meta actually began testing it in the U.S.

In addition to English, the pilot is available in Spanish as well. It is worth noting that the functionality will only be available to "a limited number of people" initially.

While this is the first time that WhatsApp is allowing users to make payments with cryptocurrency, the messaging app has been offering payments using traditional currencies in India since last year. The payments feature was expanded to users in Brazil in May this year. WhatsApp also recently received approval from Indian regulators to double its payments offering to 40 million users in the country.