WhatsApp

WhatsApp Messenger is a freeware, cross-platform and end-to-end encrypted instant messaging application for smartphones - wikipedia

It uses the Internet to make voice calls, one to one video calls; send text messages, images, GIF, videos, documents, user location, audio files, phone contacts and voice notes to other users using standard cellular mobile numbers.

# Business API

WhatsApp last year announced its plan to develop the system, known as an application programming interface, or API, citing examples such as a user talking to a bank about a fraudulent transaction or to an airline about a delayed flight.

In Feb 2017 WhatsApp struck a deal with Y Combinator, which provides training and advice to startups that show potential, to have a small number of companies take part in an early trial, according to emails and messages posted on a Y Combinator forum - fortune.com

# Growth

According to Flurry, a market-research firm, the total number of text messaging users grew by more than 100% in 2015, which explains why old-style text messages seem to have peaked - economist

It also incorporates a feature called Status, which allows users to upload photos and videos to a 24-hours-lifetime feed that, by default, are visible to all contacts; similar to Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram Stories.

WhatsApp Inc., based in Mountain View, California, was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for approximately US$19.3 billion.

By February 2016, WhatsApp had a user base of over one billion, making it the most popular messaging application at the time. It is used in 109 countries, or 55.6% of the world, and supports more than 50 languages.

WhatsApp has been slow to open itself up to businesses. In January 2016 it announced that it will start testing tools this year to allow its users to communicate directly with businesses and organisations. This is likely to mean that WhatsApp becomes a viable platform to build bots for towards the end of 2016 - atchai.com

Here are some of the more interesting facts, as well as a few more that might raise an eyebrow or two:- - As of April 2015, WhatsApp has more than 800 million active users. - India has the largest number of active users on WhatsApp. - More than 1 million users get registered on WhatsApp daily. - As of January 2015, 30 billion messages gets sent and received on WhatsApp daily. - Average amount of time spent by users on WhatsApp at a weekly basis is 195 minutes. - Before Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion, Google offered to pay $ 10 billion. - WhatsApp is responsible for 27% of selfies shared on social media. - WhatsApp founder Jan Koum was denied a job at Facebook in 2008. - WhatsApp messaging volume overtook the world SMS volume long time back. - WhatsApp has a total of 55 employees. Out of which only 34 are engineers. That means there is a ration of 1 developer to 23 million active users - The average user checks the app approximately 23 times per day. - An average user ends more than 1000 messages per month on WhatsApp. - As of early 2014, an average user shares about 40 pictures, 7 videos and 13 voice notes per month on WhatsApp. You can only imagine what the number would be now. - WhatsApp is worth more than entire annual budget of NASA, which is $17 billion. - As of February 2015, WhatsApp is at 6th position in the list of global brands which rank highest in consumer engagement