WhatsApp facts for kids
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Screenshot depicting WhatsApp's home screen in 2025
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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, Meta Quest | ||||||||
| Size | 183.7 MB (iOS) 48.02 MB (Android) |
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| Available in | 40 (iOS) and 60 (Android) languages | ||||||||
| Type | Social media, instant messaging, VoIP | ||||||||
| License | Proprietary software with EULA "European Region" "others" |
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WhatsApp (officially WhatsApp Messenger) is a popular app for sending messages and making calls. It's owned by a big technology company called Meta. With WhatsApp, you can send text, voice, and video messages. You can also make voice and video calls. It lets you share pictures, documents, your location, and other things with friends and family.
WhatsApp works on mobile devices like phones and tablets. You can also use it on computers. To sign up, you need a mobile telephone number. WhatsApp first launched in February 2009. Later, in January 2018, a special version called WhatsApp Business was released. This version helps companies talk to their customers.
WhatsApp became the most popular messaging app in the world by 2015. By February 2020, it had over 2 billion users around the globe. It's a main way people communicate online in many parts of the world. This includes places like the Americas, India, Europe, and Africa.
Contents
History
| WhatsApp Timeline | |
|---|---|
| Feb 24, 2009 | Jan Koum incorporates WhatsApp in California. |
| Aug 2009 | WhatsApp 2.0 is released on the App Store for the iPhone. |
| Oct 2009 | Brian Acton persuades five ex-Yahoo! friends to invest $250,000 in seed funding, and is granted co-founder status. |
| Aug 2010 | WhatsApp support for Android OS is added. |
| Jan 21, 2011 | WeChat, a messenger app, is founded. It eventually starts to compete with WhatsApp and becomes very popular in China. |
| Apr 2011 | In Series A round, WhatsApp founders agree to take $7 million from Sequoia Capital on top of their $250,000 seed funding, after months of negotiation with Sequoia partner Jim Goetz. |
| May 2011 | Snapchat, a competing photo messaging app, is founded. |
| Jan 6, 2012 | An unknown hacker publishes a website that makes it possible to change the status of an arbitrary WhatsApp user, as long as the phone number was known. |
| Aug 2012 | The WhatsApp support staff announce that messages were encrypted in the "latest version" of the WhatsApp software for iOS and Android (but not BlackBerry, Windows Phone, and Symbian), without specifying the cryptographic method. |
| Feb 2013 | WhatsApp's user base grows to about 200 million active users and its staff to 50. |
| Jul 2013 | Sequoia invests another $50 million in Series B round, valuing WhatsApp at $1.5 billion. |
| Jul 16, 2013 | WhatsApp changes its profit model with an annual subscription fee of $1 after a free first year. |
| Aug 2013 | Telegram, a cloud-based instant messaging service, launches. |
| Aug 2013 | WhatsApp introduces voice messaging. |
| Feb 19, 2014 | Facebook, Inc. announces its acquisition of WhatsApp for US$19 billion, its largest acquisition to date. Facebook pays $4 billion in cash, $12 billion in Facebook shares, and an additional $3 billion in restricted stock units granted to WhatsApp's founders. |
| Mar 2014 | Someone discovers a vulnerability in WhatsApp encryption on the Android application that allows another app to access and read all of a user’s chat conversations within it. |
| Nov 2014 | WhatsApp introduces Read Receipts, which show when a message is read by a recipient. Within a week, WhatsApp introduces an update allowing users to disable this feature. |
| Jan 21, 2015 | WhatsApp launches WhatsApp Web, a web client which can be used through a web browser by syncing with the mobile device's connection. |
| Jan 21, 2015 | WhatsApp announces its policy on cracking down on 3rd-party clients, including WhatsApp+. Users would not be able to use WhatsApp’s services at all until the third-party apps are uninstalled. |
| Dec 2015 | WhatsApp is briefly shut down in Brazil after it refuses to place wiretaps on certain WhatsApp accounts. It is shut down in Brazil again on May 2016 and in July 2016. |
| Jan 18, 2016 | Jan Koum announces that WhatsApp will no longer charge its users a $1 annual subscription fee. There is still no clear plan for monetizing WhatsApp. |
| Mar 2016 | Diego Dzodan, a Facebook executive, is arrested by Brazilian federal police after Facebook fails to turn over information from his WhatsApp messaging account into a judge's request for a drug trafficking investigation. |
| Mar 2, 2016 | WhatsApp introduces its document-sharing feature, initially allowing users to share PDF files with their contacts. |
| Apr 5, 2016 | WhatsApp and Open Whisper Systems announce that they have added end-to-end encryption to "every form of communication" on WhatsApp, and that users could now verify each other's keys. |
| May 10, 2016 | WhatsApp is introduced for both Windows and Mac operating systems. |
| January 2018 | WhatsApp launches WhatsApp Business, a platform for small enterprises where they can connect with customers. |
| April 2018 | WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum announces he’s leaving the company after clashes with Facebook, saying “I sold my users’ privacy”. |
| September 2018 | WhatsApp launches group audio and video calls. |
How WhatsApp Started (2009–2014)
WhatsApp was started in February 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum. They used to work at Yahoo! Koum bought an iPhone and thought about making an app for the App Store. Their first idea was an app to show if friends were busy or on a call.
They often talked about their ideas at a friend's house. They realized they needed an iPhone developer. Koum found a developer named Igor Solomennikov to help.
Koum named the app WhatsApp because it sounded like "what's up". He officially started WhatsApp Inc. in California on February 24, 2009. At first, the app crashed a lot, and Koum almost gave up. But Acton told him to keep trying.
In June 2009, Apple added "push notifications" to phones. This meant apps could send alerts even when not open. Koum updated WhatsApp so users would get a notification when a friend's status changed. People started using this to send funny messages like "I woke up late."
Soon, it became like an instant messaging app. WhatsApp 2.0 came out in August 2009 for iPhone. It had a special messaging part. The number of people using it quickly grew to 250,000.
Brian Acton joined the company. In October 2009, he got five friends to invest $250,000. Acton became a co-founder. WhatsApp then added versions for BlackBerry, Symbian OS, and Android OS.
WhatsApp started charging a small fee to cover costs. In December 2009, users could send photos on the iOS version. By early 2011, WhatsApp was one of the top apps in the U.S. App Store.
In April 2011, a company called Sequoia Capital invested about $8 million in WhatsApp. By February 2013, WhatsApp had about 200 million active users. Sequoia invested another $50 million, making WhatsApp worth $1.5 billion. In December 2013, WhatsApp said it had 400 million active users each month.
Growing Bigger (2014–2015)
On February 19, 2014, Facebook announced it was buying WhatsApp for a huge amount of money, US$19 billion. This was Facebook's biggest purchase at the time. After the announcement, WhatsApp had some service problems, which made users upset.
This big purchase made many users try other messaging apps. Telegram and Line both gained millions of new users.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, said that buying WhatsApp was part of his plan to offer basic internet services for free. He wanted to help more people get online.
Three days after the Facebook purchase, Koum said they were working on adding voice calls. He also said new phones would be sold with WhatsApp already on them. Their goal was for WhatsApp to be on all smartphones.
By August 2014, WhatsApp was the most popular messaging app globally. It had over 600 million users. By early 2015, it had 700 million monthly users and sent over 30 billion messages daily. By February 2016, WhatsApp reached one billion users.
In November 2015, the Android WhatsApp app made links to Telegram unclickable. Many people thought this was unfair competition. WhatsApp did not explain why this happened.
New Features and Changes (2016–2019)
On January 18, 2016, Jan Koum announced that WhatsApp would no longer charge a $1 yearly fee. This was to help users who didn't have payment cards. He also said the app would not show any ads. New features would allow users to talk with businesses.
In May 2017, the European Commission fined Facebook €110 million. They said Facebook gave wrong information when it bought WhatsApp in 2014. Facebook had said it was impossible to combine user information from Facebook and WhatsApp. But in 2016, WhatsApp started sharing user phone numbers with Facebook for 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 offer customer service.
In January 2018, WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Business for small companies. In April 2018, Jan Koum also left the company. Chris Daniels became his replacement.
In November 2019, WhatsApp announced it would invest $250,000 to help 500 startups in India. In December 2019, WhatsApp announced that older phones would no longer be supported. This included older Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Sony, and Google phones. WhatsApp was the 3rd most downloaded app of the decade (2010–2019).
Recent Updates (Since 2020)
In March 2020, WhatsApp worked with the World Health Organization to provide information about the coronavirus pandemic. WhatsApp also started testing a feature to help users check facts and fight wrong information.
In January 2021, WhatsApp announced a new Privacy Policy. This policy would let WhatsApp share data with its parent company, Facebook. Users who didn't agree by February 8, 2021, would lose access. Many users moved to other apps like Signal and Telegram. Facebook later said the policy would not apply in Europe. WhatsApp delayed the update to May 15, 2021.
On October 4, 2021, Facebook had a big outage. This also affected Instagram and WhatsApp.
In May 2022, WhatsApp launched its Cloud API services for bigger businesses. This helps companies use WhatsApp with other software and manage many users.
In August 2022, WhatsApp started a shopping feature in India with JioMart. Users could order groceries directly in the app. Also in 2022, WhatsApp added a feature to hide your online status.
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 them private.
Features
WhatsApp has added many useful features over the years.
Messaging and Calls
In November 2010, WhatsApp for iOS got updates. These included searching messages, trimming long videos, and previewing photos. In March 2012, location sharing improved. Users could share their location and places like restaurants.
In August 2013, WhatsApp added voice messages. This let users send short audio recordings in chats.
Voice calls between two people were added in March and April 2015. By June 2016, over 100 million voice calls were made on WhatsApp every day. In November 2016, video calls were also added.
On February 24, 2017, WhatsApp launched a new Status feature. It was similar to stories on Snapchat and Facebook.
In July 2017, WhatsApp allowed users to upload all types of files, up to 100 MB. Before this, only certain file types like images and documents were allowed.
In September 2018, WhatsApp added group audio and video calls. In October, the "Swipe to Reply" option came to Android.
On October 25, 2018, WhatsApp added support for Stickers. You need other apps to add stickers to WhatsApp.
In October 2019, WhatsApp launched a fingerprint lock feature for Android phones. In early 2020, "dark mode" was added for iPhone and Android. This new design uses darker colors.
In October 2020, WhatsApp let users mute chats forever. The options are "8 hours," "1 week," and "Always." "Always" replaced the "1 year" option.
In March 2021, WhatsApp started rolling out animated stickers. In July 2021, WhatsApp announced support for sending uncompressed images and videos. It also added end-to-end encryption for backups in the cloud. The company was also testing multi-device support. This lets you use WhatsApp on your computer without your phone being online.
In August 2021, WhatsApp launched a feature to transfer chat history between different phone types. This started with Samsung phones.
WhatsApp lets you hide your online status ("Last Seen"). In December 2021, the default setting changed. Now, only people in your contacts or those you've chatted with can see it.
In April 2022, WhatsApp announced a "Communities" feature. This lets several group chats exist in one shared space. It also added reactions, and admins can delete messages in groups. Voice calls can now have up to 32 people.
In May 2022, the file upload limit increased from 100 MB to 2 GB. The maximum group size also grew to 512 members.
In April 2023, the app allowed users to access their account on multiple phones. Messages still stay private with end-to-end encryption. You can link up to five Android phones or four iPhones to one account.
In May 2023, WhatsApp allowed users to edit messages within 15 minutes of sending them. Edited messages are marked as "edited." WhatsApp also rolled out "Voice Status Updates." This lets you record voice notes and share them as your status.
In June 2023, WhatsApp Channels were launched. This lets creators send newsletter-like messages to many users. Unlike regular chats, channels are not end-to-end encrypted.
In July 2023, video messages were added. Like voice messages, you can record and send short videos directly in a chat. These videos are limited to 60 seconds.
In October 2023, support for logging in to multiple accounts was added. Users can switch between different WhatsApp accounts in the same app. Passkey support was also introduced. This lets you verify your login with your device's biometrics instead of SMS codes. New text formatting options like code blocks and bulleted lists became available.
In November 2023, WhatsApp added "voice chat" for groups with more than 32 members. This sends a notification to join, instead of calling everyone directly. WhatsApp also started sending login codes to email addresses. A "Secret Code" feature was added. This lets you hide locked chats by entering a special password.
In December 2023, WhatsApp's "View Once" feature expanded to voice messages. These voice messages are deleted after the recipient listens to them once.
In April 2024, an AI-powered "Smart Assistant" became available. Users can ask it questions or have it do tasks like generating images. WhatsApp also introduced chat filters. These let you sort chats by "All," "Unread," or "Groups."
In June 2024, voice and video calls improved. Video calls can now have up to 32 people. Audio can be shared during screen sharing. A new system makes calls more reliable.
In September 2024, WhatsApp added more support for Meta AI. Users can send text and photos to Meta AI to ask questions, identify things, translate text, or edit pictures.
In October 2024, WhatsApp expanded its chat filter feature. Users can now create custom lists of specific chats.
In November 2024, the ability to read voice messages was added. This lets users read what was said in a voice message instead of listening.
In December 2024, WhatsApp added new video calling features. You can now select specific people from a group to call. Visual effects were also added to video calls.
In December 2024, WhatsApp introduced a reverse image search feature. This lets users check if an image is real directly in the app using Google Search.
How WhatsApp Works on Different Devices
Platform History
WhatsApp for iOS officially launched in November 2009. In January 2010, it added support for BlackBerry phones. Then came support for Symbian OS in May 2010, and Android OS in August 2010. Later, it added support for Nokia's non-smartphone OS Series 40 and Windows Phone.
In August 2014, WhatsApp added support for Android Wear smartwatches.
On January 21, 2015, WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Web. This is a version you can use in your internet browser. It works by connecting to your phone.
Over time, WhatsApp stopped supporting older phones and operating systems. This helps them focus on newer technology. In July 2018, WhatsApp became available for KaiOS feature phones. WhatsApp added support for iPads and iPadOS on May 27, 2025.
Android and iPhone
WhatsApp works best on Android phones and iPhones. These are its main platforms and are fully supported.
WhatsApp Web
WhatsApp Web lets you use WhatsApp on your computer through a web browser. It was launched in January 2015. It mirrors your chats from your phone to your computer. This means your messages are still stored on your phone. At first, your phone had to be connected to the internet for WhatsApp Web to work. But after an update in October 2021, that's no longer needed.
You can access WhatsApp Web by going to web.whatsapp.com. You need to scan a QR code with your phone's WhatsApp app to connect.
Windows and Mac
On May 10, 2016, WhatsApp launched apps for Microsoft Windows and macOS computers. These apps also sync with your phone. Later, they added video and voice calls from these computer apps.
In 2023, WhatsApp updated its computer apps to be faster and work better.
Smartwatches
WhatsApp added support for Android Wear (now called Wear OS) smartwatches in 2014.
Technical Details
WhatsApp uses a special version of a communication system called Extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP). When you install WhatsApp, it creates an account using your phone number.
WhatsApp automatically checks your phone's contacts. It finds other WhatsApp users and adds them to your WhatsApp contact list.
In February 2015, WhatsApp added voice calling. This helped more people use the app. WhatsApp uses a special audio format called Opus for calls. On November 14, 2016, WhatsApp added video calling.
In November 2017, WhatsApp added a feature to delete messages you sent by mistake. You have seven minutes to delete them.
When you send pictures or videos, WhatsApp uploads them to a server. Then it sends a link to that content. WhatsApp stores messages on its servers until they are delivered. Once a message is delivered, the server deletes it. If a message isn't delivered after 30 days, it's also deleted.
End-to-End Encryption
On November 18, 2014, WhatsApp started working with Open Whisper Systems. They added end-to-end encryption to WhatsApp. This means that only you and the person you are talking to can read your messages. No one else, not even WhatsApp, can read them.
On April 5, 2016, WhatsApp announced that all communication on the app was end-to-end encrypted. This includes messages, calls, and group chats. You can also check to make sure your conversations are secure.
On October 14, 2021, WhatsApp added end-to-end encryption for backups. You can turn this feature on to protect your chat backups stored in the cloud. You can encrypt them with a password or a special key.
WhatsApp Payments
WhatsApp Payments (also called WhatsApp Pay) lets you send money to other people. This service is available in India and Brazil. In Singapore, it's used for WhatsApp Business payments.
India
In July 2017, WhatsApp got permission to work with Indian banks. This allowed money transfers using a system called Unified Payments Interface (UPI). UPI uses phone numbers to send money between bank accounts. UPI payments through WhatsApp became available to everyone in India in August 2022.
WhatsApp Business
WhatsApp launched two business apps in January 2018:
- A WhatsApp Business app for small companies.
- An Enterprise Solution called WhatsApp Business Platform for larger companies. This helps big businesses like airlines and online stores offer customer service. They can use live agents or chatbots to chat with customers.
Since WhatsApp Business Platform doesn't have a simple app, businesses use special providers to connect.
How Many People Use WhatsApp
WhatsApp handles billions of messages every day. In August 2012, it handled ten billion messages daily. By June 2013, it reached a new record of 27 billion messages processed in one day.
By April 22, 2014, WhatsApp had over 500 million active users each month. Users shared 700 million photos and 100 million videos daily.
On August 24, 2014, Koum announced that WhatsApp had over 600 million active users worldwide. WhatsApp was adding about 25 million new users every month.
In May 2017, WhatsApp users spent over 340 million minutes on video calls each day.
By February 2017, WhatsApp had over 1.2 billion users globally. It reached 1.5 billion monthly active users by the end of 2017.
In January 2020, WhatsApp reached over 5 billion installs on the Google Play Store. This made it only the second non-Google app to do so. As of February 2020, WhatsApp had over 2 billion users globally.
Specific Markets
India is WhatsApp's biggest market. In May 2014, WhatsApp had over 50 million active users in India. By February 2017, this grew to 200 million monthly active users.
Israel is another strong market for WhatsApp. By 2013, 92% of smartphones there had the app. Most users reported using it daily.
In July 2024, WhatsApp reached 100 million users in the United States.
Competition
WhatsApp competes with many other messaging services. These include iMessage, WeChat, Telegram, Viber, LINE, KakaoTalk, and Signal. When WhatsApp has problems, many users try or switch to Telegram and Signal.
WhatsApp has often added features that were already popular on other apps. For example, it added a web version and group features that were similar to Telegram.
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
