WhatsApp facts for kids
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Screenshot depicting WhatsApp's home screen in 2024.
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| Original author(s) | Brian Acton, Jan Koum | ||||||||
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| Developer(s) | Meta Platforms, Will Cathcart (Head of WhatsApp) | ||||||||
| Initial release | February 2009 | ||||||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||
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| Preview release(s) [±] | |||||||||
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| Written in | Erlang | ||||||||
| Operating system | Android, iOS, iPadOS, KaiOS, macOS, Windows, Windows Phone, Wear OS, Web, Meta Quest (The latter two require one-time verification from the mobile app client.) | ||||||||
| Size | 183.7 MB (iOS) 48.02 MB (Android) |
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| Available in | 40 (iOS) and 60 (Android) languages | ||||||||
| Type | Instant messaging, VoIP | ||||||||
| License | Proprietary software with EULA "European Region" "others" |
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WhatsApp is a super popular app for sending messages and making calls over the internet. It's owned by a big tech company called Meta. With WhatsApp, you can send text messages, voice messages, and even video messages. You can also make voice and video calls to your friends and family.
The app lets you share pictures, documents, your location, and other cool stuff. You can use WhatsApp on your phone, and you can also access it from a computer. To sign up, you just need a mobile phone number. In 2018, WhatsApp also launched a special app called WhatsApp Business for companies to talk to their customers.
WhatsApp was created in 2009 by a company in California. In 2014, Facebook (which is now Meta) bought WhatsApp for a lot of money. By 2015, it became the most used messaging app in the world. By 2020, more than 2 billion people around the globe were using it! It's now a main way people communicate online in many parts of the world.
Contents
How WhatsApp Started
The Beginning: 2009–2014
WhatsApp was started in February 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum. They used to work at Yahoo!. After Koum got an iPhone, they decided to make a new app for the App Store. Their first idea was an app that would show if your friends were busy or on a call by updating their status in your phone's contacts.
Koum named the app "WhatsApp" because it sounded like "what's up". He officially started WhatsApp Inc. in California in February 2009. At first, the app crashed a lot, and Koum almost gave up. But Acton told him to wait a bit longer.
In June 2009, Apple launched "push notifications." This meant apps could send alerts to users even when the app wasn't open. Koum updated WhatsApp so that when someone changed their status, everyone in their contacts would get a notification. People started using this to send funny messages like "I woke up late!" or "I'm on my way!" Soon, it became a way to send instant messages.
WhatsApp 2.0 came out for iPhone in August 2009. It had a special messaging part, and suddenly, 250,000 people started using it! Acton joined the company, and in October 2009, he got some friends to invest money. WhatsApp then made versions for BlackBerry, Symbian OS, and Android.
To pay for sending verification texts, WhatsApp started charging a small fee. In December 2009, you could send photos on the iPhone version. By 2011, WhatsApp was one of the most popular apps in the U.S. Apple App Store.
In April 2011, a company called Sequoia Capital invested about $8 million in WhatsApp. By February 2013, WhatsApp had 200 million active users. Sequoia invested more money, making WhatsApp worth $1.5 billion.
Big Changes: 2014–2015
On February 19, 2014, Facebook, Inc. (now Meta Platforms) announced it was buying WhatsApp for a huge amount of money: US$19 billion! This was the biggest purchase of a company backed by venture capital at that time. After the announcement, WhatsApp had some service problems, which made users upset.
Many users started trying other messaging apps. Telegram said it gained 8 million new users, and Line gained 2 million.
In August 2014, WhatsApp became the most popular messaging app in the world, with over 600 million users. By early 2015, it had 700 million monthly users and handled over 30 billion messages every day. By February 2016, WhatsApp had reached one billion users!
In November 2015, the Android WhatsApp app made links to Telegram messages unclickable. Many people thought this was done on purpose to stop competition, but WhatsApp didn't explain why.
Growing Up: 2016–2019
On January 18, 2016, WhatsApp announced it would no longer charge a yearly fee. This was to help users who didn't have payment cards. They also said the app would not show any ads.
In May 2017, the European Commission fined Facebook €110 million. They said Facebook gave wrong information when it bought WhatsApp in 2014. Facebook had claimed it couldn't combine user info from Facebook and WhatsApp. But in 2016, WhatsApp started sharing user phone numbers for Facebook ads. Facebook admitted the mistake but said it wasn't on purpose.
In September 2017, WhatsApp co-founder Brian Acton left the company. He later started a group that developed Signal, another messaging app. WhatsApp also announced a new platform for businesses to talk to customers.
In January 2018, WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Business for small companies. In April 2018, co-founder Jan Koum also left the company. They both left because they were worried about privacy and how Facebook planned to make money from WhatsApp.
In December 2019, WhatsApp announced that older phones would no longer be supported after February 1, 2020. This included older Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Sony, and Google phones. WhatsApp was named the 3rd most downloaded mobile app of the decade (2010–2019).
Recent Updates: 2020-Present
In March 2020, WhatsApp worked with the World Health Organization to give people information about the coronavirus pandemic. They also started testing a feature to help users check if information they received was true, to fight misinformation.
In January 2021, WhatsApp announced a new Privacy Policy. This policy would let WhatsApp share data with its parent company, Facebook. Many users didn't like this and moved to other apps like Signal and Telegram. However, Facebook said the policy wouldn't apply in Europe because of privacy laws. WhatsApp then delayed the update.
On October 4, 2021, Facebook had a big outage, which also affected WhatsApp and Instagram.
In March 2024, Meta announced that WhatsApp would allow other messaging apps to connect with it. This means users can send messages between different apps while keeping their messages private with end-to-end encryption.
Cool Features of WhatsApp
WhatsApp has added many features over the years to make chatting easier and more fun.
- Finding Messages: In November 2010, WhatsApp added the ability to search for messages in your chat history.
- Location Sharing: In March 2012, you could share not just your location, but also the location of places like restaurants.
- Voice Messages: In August 2013, WhatsApp added voice messages, letting you send short audio recordings in your chats.
- WhatsApp Web: In January 2015, WhatsApp launched a web version. You could scan a QR code with your phone to see your chats on your computer. Your phone needed to stay connected to the internet for this to work.
- Voice and Video Calls: Voice calls were added in March and April 2015. By June 2016, over 100 million voice calls were made on WhatsApp every day! Video calls were added in November 2016.
- Two-Factor Authentication: In November 2016, WhatsApp added an extra security step called two-factor authentication. This helps protect your account even more.
- Status Feature: On WhatsApp's 8th birthday in February 2017, they launched a "Status" feature, similar to stories on Snapchat and Facebook.
- File Sharing: In July 2017, you could upload all types of files, up to 100 MB.
- Group Calls and Stickers: In September 2018, group audio and video calls were added. In October, WhatsApp introduced Stickers to make your chats more expressive.
- Dark Mode: In early 2020, WhatsApp launched "dark mode" for iPhone and Android, which uses a darker color scheme.
- Mute Forever: In October 2020, you could mute individual and group chats forever, so you wouldn't get notifications from them.
- Animated Stickers: In March 2021, WhatsApp started rolling out animated stickers.
- Better Image Quality & Backups: In July 2021, WhatsApp announced you could send uncompressed images and videos. They also added end-to-end encryption for backups stored in the cloud, keeping your chats private.
- Multi-Device Support: WhatsApp has been working on letting you use the app on multiple devices (like your computer) without your phone needing to be online.
- Hide Online Status: In December 2021, WhatsApp changed the default setting for "Last Seen" (your online status) so only your contacts or people you've chatted with can see it.
- Communities: In April 2022, WhatsApp announced a "Communities" feature. This lets several group chats exist in one shared space, making it easier to manage bigger groups.
- Larger Files and Groups: In May 2022, the file upload limit was increased to 2 GB, and group sizes could go up to 512 members.
- Multiple Phones: In April 2023, WhatsApp allowed you to use your account on multiple phones, like up to five Android phones or four iPhones.
- Edit Messages: In May 2023, you could edit messages within 15 minutes of sending them. Edited messages are marked as "edited."
- Voice Status Updates: You can now record voice notes and share them as your status.
- WhatsApp Channels: In June 2023, "Channels" were launched. These let content creators and public figures send newsletter-like messages to many users. Unlike regular chats, channels are not end-to-end encrypted.
- Video Messages: In July 2023, you could send short video messages directly in a chat, similar to voice messages. These videos are limited to 60 seconds.
- Multiple Accounts & Passkeys: In October 2023, WhatsApp added support for logging into multiple accounts in the same app. They also added passkey support, letting you log in using your device's biometrics (like fingerprint or face scan) instead of an SMS code.
- Voice Chat & Secret Code: In November 2023, a "voice chat" feature was added for groups with more than 32 members. It sends a notification to join, instead of calling everyone directly. A "Secret Code" feature was also added to hide locked chats.
- View Once for Voice Messages: In December 2023, the "View Once" feature was expanded to voice messages. They disappear after the recipient listens to them once.
- AI Smart Assistant: In April 2024, an AI-powered "Smart Assistant" became available. You can ask it questions or have it do tasks like generating images.
Where You Can Use WhatsApp
Platform History
WhatsApp first launched for iOS in November 2009. Then it came to BlackBerry, Symbian OS, and Android. Later, it supported Nokia's Series 40, Windows Phone, BlackBerry 10, and Samsung's Tizen OS. Over time, support for older devices was stopped.
In August 2014, WhatsApp added support for Android Wear smartwatches.
Android and iPhone
WhatsApp works best and is fully supported on Android phones and iPhones. These are its main platforms.
WhatsApp Web
In January 2015, WhatsApp Web was launched. This is a version you can use in your computer's web browser. It mirrors your phone's chats and messages. At first, your phone had to be connected to the internet for it to work. But after an update in October 2021, you can use WhatsApp Web without your phone being online! You just scan a QR code from your phone to connect.
Windows and Mac
In May 2016, WhatsApp also launched apps for Microsoft Windows and macOS computers. These apps sync with your phone, just like WhatsApp Web. They also added support for video and voice calls from your computer.
Smartwatches
WhatsApp added support for Android Wear (now called Wear OS) smartwatches in 2014.
iPad Not Supported (Yet!)
As of 2023, WhatsApp doesn't have an official app for the iPad. Many iPhone apps can run on the iPad, but WhatsApp has been one of the few that couldn't. However, in September 2023, a test version of WhatsApp was released for iPad users. An official release date hasn't been announced yet.
How WhatsApp Works
WhatsApp uses a special system to send messages. When you send a message, it's stored on a WhatsApp server. The server then tries to send it to the person you sent it to. Once the message is delivered and confirmed, the server deletes it. If a message isn't delivered after 30 days, it's also deleted from the server.
End-to-End Encryption
WhatsApp uses something called end-to-end encryption. This is a super important security feature. It means that only you and the person you're talking to can read your messages. No one else, not even WhatsApp or Meta, can see what you're sending. It's like your messages are locked in a secret code that only you and your friend have the key to.
This encryption was added to all types of communication on WhatsApp by April 2016. You can even check if your friend's "key" is correct to make sure your conversation is secure.
WhatsApp Payments
WhatsApp Payments, also called WhatsApp Pay, lets you send money to other people. This feature is available in India and Brazil, and for business payments in Singapore.
India
In India, WhatsApp Pay works with a system called Unified Payments Interface (UPI). This lets you send money directly between bank accounts using just mobile phone numbers. It became available to everyone in India in August 2022.
WhatsApp for Businesses
In January 2018, WhatsApp launched two special apps for businesses:
- A WhatsApp Business app for small companies.
- An Enterprise Solution for bigger companies, like airlines or online stores. This lets them offer customer service and shopping through WhatsApp chats, using real people or even chatbots (computer programs that can talk to you).
How Many People Use WhatsApp?
WhatsApp handles billions of messages every day! In August 2012, it handled 10 billion messages daily. By April 2014, it had over 500 million active users each month. People were sharing 700 million photos and 100 million videos every day.
In May 2017, it was reported that WhatsApp users spent over 340 million minutes on video calls every day! That's like 646 years of video calls daily.
By February 2017, WhatsApp had over 1.2 billion users worldwide, and by the end of 2017, it reached 1.5 billion monthly active users. In January 2020, WhatsApp was downloaded over 5 billion times from the Google Play Store, making it one of the most downloaded apps ever. As of February 2020, WhatsApp had over 2 billion users globally.
Where WhatsApp is Most Popular
India is WhatsApp's biggest market, with the most users. By February 2017, India had 200 million monthly active WhatsApp users.
Israel is also a very strong market for WhatsApp. By 2013, the app was installed on 92% of all smartphones there, and 86% of users said they used it daily.
Who WhatsApp Competes With
WhatsApp has many competitors, including:
When WhatsApp has problems or controversies, many users try or switch to apps like Telegram and Signal. WhatsApp has also added features that were already popular on other apps, like a web version and group features.
On April 3, 2024, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram all had a brief outage because of a problem at their parent company, Meta.
Images for kids
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WhatsApp logo
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Screenshot of WhatsApp on Android
See also
In Spanish: WhatsApp para niños
- Comparison of cross-platform instant messaging clients
- Comparison of user features of messaging platforms
- Comparison of VoIP software
- Criticism of Facebook
- List of most-downloaded Google Play applications
