WhatsApp has become one of the fastest growing apps in the world, adding 50 million active users in the last two months.
Over 500 million people now use WhatsApp and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, who acquired the messaging app is expecting this number to reach 1 billion in the coming years.
“Thanks to all of you, half a billion people around the world are now regular WhatsApp users,” stated the company on their blog.
In countries around the world like Brazil, India, Mexico and Russia, WhatsApp’s popularity has skyrocketed with around 700 million photos and 100 million videos being shared daily.
WhatsApp was launched 5 years ago and allows users to exchange texts, photos and videos with friends anywhere around the world but it’s not just for social purposes.
The company stated on their blog too that “doctors in India are using WhatsApp to instantly send electrocardiogram pictures of patients who’ve suffered heart attacks, saving valuable time and potentially saving lives.”
Earlier this year, Zuckerberg decided to purchase WhatsApp for the hefty price tag of $19 billion however the FTC is yet to approve the deal.
The deal made sense for Facebook who currently has over 1.23 billion users around the world. While it is unclear how the two apps are going to fit together all of it is part of Zuckerberg’s goal to reach billions of people around the world.
You can also download WhatsApp for PC.