The new MPESA app seem to be picking new features fast.
Already, the app is one of the best-looking utility products ever made by the telco, and with its feature set, I see why many people have been heaping praises on it.
Besides its basic functionalities (all about MPESA, save for M-Shwari and loan facilities such as KCB M-PESA that are missing – but available in the mySafaricom app), the app has made two new strides following an update that was sent yesterday.
One of them is that you can request for funds from another party.
So how does it work?
Well, just navigate to the Send money option.
At the top, you will two buttons; one for SEND and another one for REQUEST. Choose the latter.
Afterward, you will be prompted to enter the number of the person you want to request funds from. The appeal here is that the page recommends numbers from frequent contacts. Besides, you can easily search through your contacts list. All that functionality is under a single page.
After selecting the person, you are asked to enter the amount you want sent to you. Then, authenticate the transaction with a pin and that’s it.
The other party will see the request and respond appropriately. Or otherwise.
Why this feature is here is interesting because people tend to ask for cash directly from their friends and family. It is a nifty feature, nonetheless, and we appreciate that it is here.
The second update is all about bill management. It has been fine tuned to ensure that customers never really have to memorize pay bill numbers – and for popular services such as government services or power and water bills, you can find them with a single or two taps.
If you cannot see a popular bill, you can search through its robust catalogue.
As said, we are not sure if loan services will be brought here. However, with them available in the other app, it is unlikely they will be ported over.
For the moment, both M-PESA and mySafaricom apps appear to be different tools; the former is modern and focuses on core M-PESA features, whereas the latter is a kitchen sink that holds all Safaricom products and services.
