WhatsApp clocks a billion users

WhatsApp which is a popular messaging app, has today announced that the service now has 1 billion users as of today. This comes after WhatsApp dropped the the annual fee of $0.99 and launched newer features such as WhatsApp calls. Despite the abscense of business features like public chats, cab hire features that other rival messaging apps have, WhatsApp is still growing strong and the introduction of WhatsApp themed data bundles in Uganda led to growth of the service in Uganda.

The CEO of WhatsApp Jan Koum made the announcement on his Facebook page which was followed by a blog post. Below is the image Jan posted with impressive figures such as a billion groups but i was impressed by the number of engineers.

Below is the announcement Whatsapp made;

As of today, one billion people are using WhatsApp. That’s nearly one in seven people on Earth who use WhatsApp each month to stay in touch with their loved ones, their friends and their family.

We are proud of this milestone, and we’re humbled by the extraordinary ways all of you have used WhatsApp. Whether it’s sharing vital information during natural disasters or health emergencies, finding a date, growing a small business, buying an engagement ring, or seeking a better life – we’re honored to be a small part of what people are doing to make their lives and the lives of those around them better.

And yet, through all the progress we’ve made together over the last seven years, our mission has never changed. 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.

So even as we celebrate this achievement, our focus remains the same. Every day, our team continues to work to improve WhatsApp’s speed, reliability, security and simplicity. We’re excited to see how far we’ve come. But now, it’s back to work – because we still have another 6 billion people to get on WhatsApp, and a long way left to go.