mySafaricom App Receives Major Update With Bill Manager, M-Pesa 1Tap and QR Code

Safaricom (NSE: SCOM) customers can now access M-Shwari, KCB M-PESA, M-PESA Bill Manager and Data Usage on the updated version of the mySafaricom app.

Version 1.3 of the app, available through the Google Play Store, brings with it new M-PESA features including a Lipa Na M-PESA. Bill Manager, in-phone M-PESA 1Tap capabilities and the ability to make Lipa Na M-PESA payments by scanning a QR code.

“In 2016, we introduced the mySafaricom app as a modern and convenient way for smartphone users to interact with our services. This new update brings a range of refinements that will further increase the ease and convenience enjoyed by our customers whenever they interact with our different services,” said Joseph Ogutu, Director – Strategy, Safaricom.

The Bill Manager feature empowers customers to manage all their bills in one place and also provides a list of popular bills and those frequently accessed by a customer. The new feature increases the accuracy of payments by eliminating the need to key in the PayBill number and also increases the speed of making a payment by cutting down on the number of steps previously taken. Customers can also set bill reminders through the Bill Manager feature.  

M-PESA customers will now also have the option to make M-PESA Agent withdrawals and Lipa Na M-PESA payments by scanning a QR code, then keying in the amount. This new feature further increases the speed and accuracy when making payments on the service. Safaricom has already began rolling out new Lipa Na M-PESA stickers with QR codes to the more than 140,000 M-PESA agents and 80,000 Lipa Na M-PESA merchants.

Safaricom has also introduced the option of making Lipa Na M-PESA payments through the recently rolled out M-PESA 1Tap solution. Customers with Android handsets that support Near Field Communication (NFC) technology can configure their phones as a virtual M-PESA 1Tap card, allowing them to tap their phones to make payments. This will complement the current M-PESA 1Tap stickers, wrist bands and cards.

The new update also introduces a Data Usage manager that allows customers to view their data usage for a given period and a list of applications and data used by each app during the period. The feature can be accessed by selecting the “Data Usage” feature under the app’s Menu.