Twilio has announced a new way for its customers to verify WhatsApp users with the Twilio Verify API.
The new update will allow Twilio customers to send one-time passcodes to consumers over WhatsApp in order to verify their identity.
Moving away from SMS authentication, which is often costly for global customers, WhatsApp has quickly grown to be a natural choice for engaging with customers.
The Twilio Verify team originally added WhatsApp as a channel to their Twilio Authy app several months ago to see if it would meet consumer expectations. As the results proved promising, Twilio saw “strong user adoption”, especially in countries such as Brazil and Indonesia where 40% of users choose WhatsApp as a method to verify their identity.
The company explained the process behind the Verify API in a blog post: “For developers familiar with the Verify API and sending SMS One-time Passcodes, switching the desired Channel parameter from SMS to WhatsApp is a simple one-word change to the API request.
“Similar to the Verify SMS channel, pre-approved One-time Passcode template messages are sent through shared WhatsApp-enabled phone numbers maintained by Verify. The generated One-time Passcode is the same on either channel, enabling users to use the code they receive from either WhatsApp or SMS if both were requested.”
Twilio has also recently launched an API for its cloud contact centre platform Flex, to enable users to seamlessly deliver experiences through digital channels.
