WhatsApp Hits 500 Million Active Users

Mark Zuckerberg has said repeatedly that he fully expects WhatsApp to reach one billion users. Now, the mobile messaging service is officially halfway there.

WhatsApp announced Tuesday that it has hit 500 million active users just less than five years after launching. That’s up from around 450 million in mid-February when Facebook announced plans to acquire the company for $16 billion, plus another $3 billion in restricted stock units for employees and the founders.

“In the last few months, we’ve grown fastest in countries like Brazil, India, Mexico, and Russia, and our users are also sharing more than 700 million photos and 100 million videos every single day,” the WhatsApp team wrote in a blog post. “We could go on, but for now, it’s more important that we get back to work — because here at WhatsApp, we’re just getting started.”

Facebook reached the 500 million milestone in July 2010, a little more than six years after the social network launched. At this pace, WhatsApp should reach the one billion mark faster than Facebook did.

The Federal Trade Commission approved Facebook’s deal to buy WhatsApp earlier this month. The acquisition is still pending approval from international regulators.

Article read from Mashable