Paytm Announces Launch Of Spam-Proof SMS Inbox

Digital payment giant Paytm has announced the launch of spam-proof SMS Inbox as a part of the Paytm Inbox, which uses proprietary Machine Learning (ML) algorithms to classify messages into personal, transactional and promotional categories.

According to Paytm, the app will categorise the messages locally on the device only after the users give their explicit consent to avail this service.

Once the service is activated, the app informs the users about the various classifications of the SMS categories and their utility value.

Similar to the other messaging apps, users can also choose to delete one or several threads, re-classify SMS and mark SMS as read/unread.

The machine learning engine remembers user’s inputs and updates itself accordingly to customise its detection patterns and enhance user experience while removing the need to have a dedicated standalone SMS spam protection app on the phone.

Deepak Abbot, Senior Vice President  of Paytm said, “We have witnessed a huge discomfort by mobile phone users in SMS especially with the bulk of it being spam”.

“As a technology company, we want to offer a convenient solution to this problem and are excited to announce the launch of the Spam-proof ‘SMS Inbox’ which is a part of Paytm Inbox.

While filtering spam and categorizing SMS, it brings a lot of features that would add value to the lives of our users,” he added.

However, launch of this new service brought about mixed reactions from the users as suggested by Twitter threads where some people have opined that the platform should look into the previous problems and then consider launching new services.

Some of the tweets by the users are:

Paytm had launched its instant messaging service, Paytm Inbox in November 2017. The messaging platform allows users to chat and transact at the same time.

By launching the messaging app, Paytm is reportedly looking to  replicate the success of Tencent’s WeChat business model in China.

Earlier this year, in June 2018, Paytm added many new features in its messaging service that allowed the users to  access in-app content across categories such as Live TV, News, Cricket, Entertainment Videos, and Games on the go, for free of cost.

The service faces competition from other messaging services like Whatsapp, and Hike among many others.

Facebook-owned messaging platform Whatsapp has also been trying to enter the digital payment space with the launch of Whatsapp Pay, however has been facing several difficulties as the Indian government has ruled that the company cannot do so till it sets up an office and recruits a team in India.

Last year, New Delhi based messaging service, Hike Messenger had also launched a UPI-enabled digital wallet named as Hike Wallet.

Paytm’s Recent Developments

The Delhi-based UPI-based digital wallet company has been undertaking several initiatives to boost its business in the country.  Some of the recent initiatives are:

• Its digital shopping app, Paytm Mall has been trying to step up its position in the ecommerce industry of the country and is working with 100 FMCG brands including Marico and Hindustan Unilever, among others to drive sales through its online-to-offline (O2O) model.
• In September, Paytm launched its fourth consumer brand in India— a mutual funds platform called Paytm Money which officially started its operations with 850K users.
• In the same month, Paytm’s parent company One97 Communications has reportedly approved the investment of $300 Mn from US-based investment firm Berkshire Hathaway.

With the company trying to introduces several features and services to expand it reach and achieve a strong foot in the country, the future offerings of the digital payment giant will be interesting to watch.

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