WhatsApp has managed to scoop way more than 500 million active users since it first began. This is seen in a statement that indicate that the OTT messaging service has grown fastest in countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, and Russia, and users are also sharing more than 700 million photos and 100 million videos every single day.
The OTT platform was founded only in February 2009, and had signed up 200 million users by February 2013. A little more than a year later, it has more than doubled to 500 million users.
It recently agreed to a takeover bid from Facebook that valued the company at $19 billion, despite offering most of its services for free, or at most, a nominal charge of just $1 per year.
Japan-based messaging app maker LINE recently said it had 400 million registered users and is aiming to reach 500 million by the end of the year. Akira Morikawa, the LINE CEO, recently said the aim is to reach one billion users during 2015.
The success of these messaging apps is putting pressure on the SMS revenue of operators as consumers increasingly communicate using mobile internet or Wi-Fi connections.
