CALIFORNIA: Facebook-owned WhatsApp now has a billion users, the company announced on Monday, a key milestone for the social network as it searches for ways to monetize the service.
This means WhatsApp has racked up around 100 million users since September 2015 when it last gave an update, putting it above Facebook Messenger’s monthly active user number of 800 million.
About 42 billion messages and 1.6 billion photos are shared daily over the seven-year-old app, the company announced Monday. Users also send 250 million videos every day and have created 1 billion groups.
Facebook bought WhatsApp about two years ago in a deal worth about $22 billion. Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg has previously said he expects WhatsApp to contribute to the company’s bottom line after it hits roughly a billion users.
Since the Facebook acquisition, the messaging app has largely retained its autonomy. WhatsApp’s co-founder Jan Koum remains averse to advertising, the bread and butter for the Facebook and Instagram apps.
But last month, Mr. Koum said that the company was starting to explore new business models. He announced the company would drop its annual renewal fee of $1 and find ways for businesses to interact with WhatsApp users.
“WhatsApp began as a simple idea: ensuring that anyone could stay in touch with family and friends anywhere on the planet, without costs or gimmicks standing in the way,” Mr. Koum said in a blog post. “So even as we celebrate this achievement, our focus remains the same.”
It stayed put in Mountain View, Calif. rather than move to Facebook’s sprawling Menlo Park, Calif., headquarters. WhatsApp’s team of 57 engineers is focused on building an app that can adapt to the worst network conditions in the world, rather than adding more features.
