iWorld
ChanaJor OTT taps UPI AutoPay to scale subscriptions across India
DELHI: India’s subscription economy is learning to move at thumb speed. As UPI cements itself as the country’s default way to pay, ChanaJor OTT is leaning into AutoPay to lock in millions of mobile-first users, especially beyond the metros.
The short- and mid-format Indian-language platform has made UPI AutoPay central to its growth playbook, using recurring mandates to smooth renewals and cut drop-offs in price-sensitive markets. For users, it means fewer reminders and no monthly payment grind. For the platform, it means stickier subscriptions and fewer failed renewals.
Pratap Jain, founder and ceo of ChanaJor OTT, says the logic is simple. Match payments to behaviour. UPI is how most Indians already transact, particularly in smaller towns and semi-urban areas. AutoPay lets users opt in once and forget about it, while retaining the ability to cancel anytime.
The upside is clear. Subscriptions run uninterrupted, access stays seamless and affordability improves. The familiarity of UPI, Jain argues, lowers psychological barriers to paying for content, helping digital services reach audiences that cards never quite managed to capture.
Yet friction persists. AutoPay is still a new habit. Many users balk at the idea of recurring debits, spooked by fears of endless deductions and unclear exit routes. Mandate creation does not help. Too many steps, PIN prompts, vague bank messages, app timeouts and uneven experiences across UPI apps all chip away at completion rates. Add the occasional bank-side glitch and approvals suffer.
Even so, the numbers leave little room for doubt. On ChanaJor OTT, payment volumes skew roughly 15:85 between cards and UPI. Cards may deliver higher success rates, but they come with baggage. Card numbers, expiry dates, CVVs and OTPs slow things down. UPI, by contrast, is a single-PIN affair. With intent-based flows gaining ground, it is getting faster and slicker still.
For merchants, economics seals the deal. Cards work for higher ticket sizes. But for small, frequent payments, the lifeblood of OTT, gaming and music, UPI wins on convenience and cost. Lower MDRs mean platforms keep more of what they earn, a critical edge when subscription prices are deliberately modest.
Jain sees UPI AutoPay as more than plumbing. It is an access layer, bringing digital content within reach for millions while giving platforms a sustainable path to scale. As India’s next wave of users comes online from Bharat’s heartland, the message is blunt. If you want reach, you ride UPI.
And if you want renewals to stick, you make them automatic.
iWorld
Meta warns 200 users after fake Whatsapp spyware attack
Italy-targeted campaign used unofficial app to deploy surveillance spyware.
MUMBAI: It looked like a message, but it behaved like a mole. Meta has warned around 200 users most of them in Italy after uncovering a targeted spyware campaign that weaponised a fake version of WhatsApp to infiltrate devices. The attack, first reported by Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, relied on classic social engineering with a modern twist: persuading users to download an unofficial WhatsApp clone embedded with surveillance software. The malicious application, believed to be developed by Italian firm SIO through its subsidiary ASIGINT, was designed to mimic the real app closely enough to bypass suspicion.
Meta’s security teams identified roughly 200 individuals who may have installed the compromised version, triggering immediate countermeasures. Affected users were logged out of their accounts and issued alerts warning of potential privacy breaches, with the company describing the incident as a “targeted social engineering attempt” aimed at gaining device-level access.
The malicious app was not distributed via official app stores but circulated through third-party channels, where it was presented as a legitimate WhatsApp alternative. Once installed, it reportedly allowed external operators to access sensitive data stored on the device turning a simple download into a potential surveillance gateway.
According to Techcrunch, Meta is now preparing legal action against the spyware developers to curb further misuse. The company, however, has not disclosed details about the specific individuals targeted or the extent of data compromised.
A Whatsapp spokesperson reiterated that user safety remains the top priority, particularly for those misled into installing the fake iOS application. Meanwhile, reports from La Repubblica suggest the spyware may be linked to “Spyrtacus”, a strain previously associated with Android-based attacks that could intercept calls, activate microphones and even access cameras.
The episode underscores a growing reality in the digital age, the threat is no longer just what you download, but where you download it from. As unofficial apps become increasingly convincing, the line between communication tool and covert surveillance is getting harder to spot and far easier to exploit.
