WhatsApp has been growing at a phenomenal rate recently, adding an additional 100 million users every few months. It has successfully broken into regional markets around the world, helped by its presence on every major smartphone platform, the web and desktop PCs.
Yesterday, WhatsApp announced it has passed a new milestone. It now plays host to 100 million voice calls each day. People use the service for a variety of reasons, ranging from simple chats with friends to sensitive business communications reliant on its encrypted nature.
Over 1,100 calls are made every second, highlighting the demand for WhatsApp around the world. The company said it is “humbled” by the response to voice calling, a feature that is still relatively new. It has successfully become a major rival to established internet calling apps such as Skype.
“For more than a year, people have used WhatsApp Calling to talk with friends and family around the world. It’s a great way to stay in touch, especially when connecting with people in other countries, or when messages alone won’t do,” said WhatsApp. Today, more than 100 million voice calls are made every day on WhatsApp – that’s over 1,100 calls a second! We’re humbled that so many people have found this feature useful, and we’re committed to making it even better in the months to come.”
WhatsApp is still intent on growing its service even further. Yesterday, a leak revealed several significant new features that the company is currently developing. They will make the service even more appealing to all of its users, ranging from teenagers to business executives.
Users will be able to share music with each other, either directly from saved MP3s or as embedded Apple Music tracks. The latter will require both the sender and recipient to be an Apple Music subscriber. WhatsApp can already be used to exchange files, links, photos and videos with a contact.
In another major feature, WhatsApp is reportedly working on public groups and mentions, enabling anyone to participate in a conversation and be involved by another user. WhatsApp could be used to create public chat rooms and discussion forums, allowing it to encroach on services like Google Plus and Facebook, WhatsApp’s parent company.
WhatsApp needs to keep innovating as it is surrounded by stiff competition in the messaging space. Facebook’s own Messenger is also aggressively growing and popular newcomers like Slack threaten to become the new app of choice for businesses.
Reaching 100 million voice calls per day is no easy feat and one that represents the engagement of WhatsApp’s users. Roughly 10 percent of users speak in a voice call each day, indicating the capability has become a key feature of the app since its introduction.
