Doubao app adds water, electricity and gas bill payments by voice or text
In short
Doubao (豆包) has added a utility payment feature that lets users issue water, electricity and gas payment commands by voice or by typing inside the Doubao app, IT Home and Jiemian reported on October 9. A person close to Doubao said it is gradually building capabilities for handling tasks in everyday-life scenarios, including travel services and utility payments.
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Doubao (豆包) has added a utility payment feature, IT Home reported on October 9, citing a report by Dujia (读佳). Users can issue payment commands for water, electricity, gas and other utilities by voice or by typing inside the Doubao app and complete the payment. Jiemian, crediting The Paper (澎湃新闻), reported that users on social media had recently described the feature, which it said means the app can be used to pay these everyday bills. [ 1 , 3 ]
A person close to Doubao said Doubao is gradually building capabilities for handling tasks in everyday-life scenarios, including travel services and utility payments, according to IT Home and Jiemian. IT Home said other life-service scenarios are also being planned. Yicai carried the response under a headline asking whether Doubao can be used to pay water, electricity and gas bills. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
In its own test, IT Home found that giving a command such as paying the water bill by voice or text in the Doubao chat box brings up a service card that leads to a dedicated payment page. The page is divided into electricity, water and gas, the three common bill categories. In Qingdao, all three services were shown as "not yet available". [ 1 ]
According to the report cited by IT Home, the conversation only triggers the process: the required steps of binding an account number, confirming and paying are kept, and a single sentence will not directly deduct money and pay the bill. [ 1 ]
Why it matters
The feature means the Doubao app can be used to pay everyday bills, Jiemian reported. IT Home said other life-service scenarios are also being planned, though in its test the services were not yet available in Qingdao.
Key facts
- Doubao has added a utility payment feature that lets users issue payment commands for water, electricity and gas by voice or text inside the Doubao app. [ 1 , 3 ]
- A person close to Doubao said it is gradually building capabilities for handling tasks in everyday-life scenarios, including travel services and utility payments. [ 1 , 3 ]
- In an IT Home test, a command to pay the water bill brought up a service card that led to a dedicated payment page. [ 1 ]
- The payment page is divided into electricity, water and gas; in Qingdao all three were shown as "not yet available". [ 1 ]
- Binding an account number, confirming and paying remain required steps; a single sentence does not directly deduct money and pay the bill. [ 1 ]
- Users on social media had recently reported the feature, Jiemian said. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Which areas the payment services are available in. IT Home found all three services shown as not yet available in Qingdao; the documents give no list of covered areas.
- When travel services or other life-service features will be added. A person close to Doubao said these capabilities are being built gradually; no dates are given.
- Whether Doubao itself has made an official statement. The comments come from a person close to Doubao, not from a named company spokesperson.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- IT Home reports that Doubao has added a utility payment feature. [ 1 ]
- Yicai reports the response that Doubao is building capabilities for everyday-life tasks such as utility payments. [ 2 ]
- Jiemian reports that a person close to Doubao said it is building capabilities including travel services and utility payments. [ 3 ]