NYT’s Vatican Reporter Using WhatsApp to Send Users Short Updates

The New York Times has started sending users updates using the popular mobile messaging app WhatsApp.

The option was announced last month and messages began being bent to readers today. The NYT’s Vatican reporter will be sending short up-to-the-minute updates about all thing Pope Francis.

Anyone who wants to follow the news can sign up by following the instructions below:

1. Download WhatsApp on your phone.
2. Save this number, 347-346-3429, in your phone’s contacts.
3. Text “POPE” to that number via your WhatsApp account.

After you follow the above steps, you will begin receiving text updates about the Pope throughout the day. Here is a screenshot that shows what the updates look like:

The Times says that this is an experiment and has not released any future detailed information about its future plans. WhatsApp has more than 800 million monthly active users, which gives the Times a large user base.

Will you be subscribing to these updates in WhatsApp? Let us know in the comments below.

[via Business Insider]