WhatsApp messenger reaches 2 billion user milestone

Damien Wilde | Feb 12 2020 - 8:32 am PT

WhatsApp has now reached the 2 billion user milestone, making it one of the biggest messaging platforms on the planet.

The Facebook-owned company announced that impressive figure in an official blog post, but didn’t go into detail on just how the figure was reached or what proportion each platform accounts for. WhatsApp is popular around the globe but isn’t widely adopted in some regions, as alternatives are preferred — a prime example being Apple’s iMessage in the US.

However, the cross-platform messaging app still manages to usurp many of the would-be challenger’s users, thanks to a free tier and ability to sign up with your phone number rather than having you share PIN codes and email addresses.

In the celebratory blog post, the team behind WhatsApp reiterated their plans to fight anti-encryption lobbying in many nations around the globe. You can see the full statement below:

We are excited to share that, as of today, WhatsApp supports more than 2 billion users around the world.

Mothers and fathers can reach their loved ones no matter where they are. Brothers and sisters can share moments that matter. Coworkers can collaborate, and businesses can grow by easily connecting with their customers.

Private conversations that once were only possible face-to-face can now take place across great distances through instant chats and video calling. There are so many significant and special moments that take place over WhatsApp, and we are humbled and honored to reach this milestone.

We know that the more we connect, the more we have to protect. As we conduct more of our lives online, protecting our conversations is more important than ever.

That is why every private message sent using WhatsApp is secured with end-to-end encryption by default. Strong encryption acts like an unbreakable digital lock that keeps the information you send over WhatsApp secure, helping protect you from hackers and criminals. Messages are only kept on your phone, and no one in between can read your messages or listen to your calls, not even us. Your private conversations stay between you.

Strong encryption is a necessity in modern life. We will not compromise on security because that would make people less safe. For even more protection, we work with top security experts, employ industry leading technology to stop misuse as well as provide controls and ways to report issues — without sacrificing privacy.

WhatsApp started with the goal of creating a service that is simple, reliable, and private for people to use. Today we remain as committed as when we started, to help connect the world privately and to protect the personal communication of two billion users all over the world.

This news comes shortly after WhatsApp become on the second non-Google app to reach 5 billion installs on the Google Play Store. Coincidentally, Facebook surpassed 2 billion users way back in 2017, which also has a popular messaging app in the form of Facebook Messenger.