WhatsApp has come a long way from its early days, when creators Jan Koum and Brian Acton were inspired to create a cross-platform messenger app by Apple’s addition of push notifications to iOS 3.0.
Having been snapped up by Facebook for a cer-azy $19 billion almost a year ago, the popular app has now announced a personal record-breaking 700 million monthly active users — a whole 100 million more than were using the service back in August.
According to WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum, these 700 million users send an average of 30 billion messages per day.
“We’re grateful that so many of you are using WhatsApp to stay in touch with your friends and family, business colleagues and classmates,” Koum noted.
The tool’s popularity has only increased as smartphones have become increasingly popular in new markets around the world, and companies like Apple and Facebook have tried to take advantage. For instance, WhatsApp claims more than 70 million users in India alone: a very lucrative developing market for tech companies to focus on.
WhatsApp hasn’t revealed how many of its 700 million active users are paying the $0.99 annual subscription rate, but the 700 million figure is still an impressive one, that doesn’t appear to show any signs of going anywhere other than upwards for the near future.
Until the next great app comes along, of course.
Via: iDownloadblog
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
5 responses to “WhatsApp now has 700 million active users”
Still the worst app around
Still don’t understand why this is any better than any other chat program. Hangouts, or even just iMessage/text messages. Most phone plans come with unlimited texting these days, which makes it cheaper than using data plans. What am I missing?
Same here. As soon as u find out let me know.
The reason is they support every OS out there from Symbian to iOS. Also in Developing countries (I am from India) text messages are not free and also it’s free even if the recipient is international. I understand most of the folks in US will find this hard to grasp since texting is mostly free here. I am sure 400-500 Million of those users are from South East Asia and Europe.
exactly, in Spain for example I started using Whatsapp in 2010 when a SMS cost was 12 cents € + VAT, and MMS 1 € + VAT. And the cost of 500 mb cellular data was about 12 €, now most of plans have SMS free or prices have droped to 8 cents (not for MMS) but nobody used. Right now you have a 1gb for 6€ after taxes so everybody has cellular plan and whatsapp.
There are better apps right now, but Whatsapp was the best one of the first ones and been the First always have some advantages.