WhatsApp now has 500 million active users, on its way to 1 billion users

WhatsApp Messenger, better known as WhatsApp, said it's well on its way to reaching a billion users in the next few years after announcing it had reached 500 million users in March.

The company, which was bought by Facebook, Inc. last February for $19 billion in cash and stock, said it was growing fastest in countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, and Russia. It's bigger than Twitter.

WhatsApp is a lot more popular outside the US. Its users worldwide share over 700 million photos and 100 million videos per day. It's also been growing rapidly. It had about 450 million users in February from 400 million in December 2013, meaning it's been adding users at a rate of about a million per day in recent months.

WhatsApp is a proprietary, cross-platform instant messaging subscription service for smartphones that uses the Internet for communication. It sends text messages, images, video and audio media messages, and their location using integrated mapping features. It was founded in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, both Americans.

When he bought WhatsApp, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the service was "incredibly valuable" and was on the path to reach a billion users. Facebook assured users that WhatsApp would continue as a separate service.

WhatsApp included a Voice Messaging function last summer and has plans to add a voice service. Last February, WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum promised the voice service will be available in the next few months and assured users that it would be free much like Instagram after Facebook acquired the photo-centered social network nearly two years ago.

Copyright © 2014 Ecumenical News