WhatsApp has just revealed staggering new stats for its messaging service, announcing that the app carries 700 million monthly active users.
The BBC notes that the figure is akin to the population of the US, the UK, France, Russia, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand combined.
This means that while WhatsApp falls short of Facebook’s ever-impressive 1.35 billion MAUs, it has left both Instagram and Twitter in its dust – they carry 300m and 284m respectively.
What’s more, the firm also revealed it handled an average 30 billion messages every single day – that’s just over four times the entire planet’s population.
In his statement, WhatsApp’s CEO Jan Koum said the following: “As humbled and excited as we are by these numbers and our continued growth,
“Most of all, we’re grateful that so many of you are using WhatsApp to stay in touch with your friends and family, business colleagues and classmates.”
He added: “We promise to continue working hard to make WhatsApp even better.”
Related: WhatsApp Alternatives: Six instant messaging apps
WhatsApp launched back in 2009, founded by former Yahoo employees Jan Koum and Brian Acton.
Facebook currently owns WhatsApp following a $19 billion acquisition last February, when the company had just 55 employees.
It is currently the world’s most popular messaging app, and is available across iOS, Android, BlackBerry, Windows phone, Nokia, and Symbian.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
