Mobile messaging service WhatsApp is going from strength to strength and now has more active monthly users than Twitter, according to the company’s CEO Jan Koum.
Speaking in a mobile conference in New York last week Koum revealed that the mobile app now has more than 200 million users claiming that it carries an average of 20 billion messages per day – more than double the number of messages carried by Facebook.
The company will not go down the same route as Facebook and Twitter by introducing advertising, however. Currently the app charges a 99 cents annual subscription fee on Android, but Koum admits that the company is against advertising.
“We’re bombarded with ads so much in our daily lives and we feel that smartphones aren’t the place for that,” said Koum. “Putting advertising on a device like that is a bad idea. You don’t want to be interrupted by ads when you’re chatting with your loved ones.
“Our monetization strategy is simple; one dollar a year. If we did something besides that, it would just get in the way.”
Koum added that the company has yet to see any reduction in user numbers since they introduced the charge meaning that WhatsApp is in a better condition than other apps with continued user growth, user activity and inbound revenue.
Despite all this positive news the firm has denied the rumours that it is in talks to sell up to Google or any other large tech company. Watch this space to see where this success story goes.
For more information on the world of mobile apps head down to next year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 24-27 February. For all your accommodation needs in the city look to EAS, your friendly local travel agent. We have rooms in all the best Barcelona hotels and most centrally located apartments. We’ll organise your transportation, nightly entertainment and make sure your stay is as stress free as it is unforgettable. Click on this link to fill in our request form.
Speaking in a mobile conference in New York last week Koum revealed that the mobile app now has more than 200 million users claiming that it carries an average of 20 billion messages per day – more than double the number of messages carried by Facebook.
The company will not go down the same route as Facebook and Twitter by introducing advertising, however. Currently the app charges a 99 cents annual subscription fee on Android, but Koum admits that the company is against advertising.
“We’re bombarded with ads so much in our daily lives and we feel that smartphones aren’t the place for that,” said Koum. “Putting advertising on a device like that is a bad idea. You don’t want to be interrupted by ads when you’re chatting with your loved ones.
“Our monetization strategy is simple; one dollar a year. If we did something besides that, it would just get in the way.”
Koum added that the company has yet to see any reduction in user numbers since they introduced the charge meaning that WhatsApp is in a better condition than other apps with continued user growth, user activity and inbound revenue.
Despite all this positive news the firm has denied the rumours that it is in talks to sell up to Google or any other large tech company. Watch this space to see where this success story goes.
For more information on the world of mobile apps head down to next year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 24-27 February. For all your accommodation needs in the city look to EAS, your friendly local travel agent. We have rooms in all the best Barcelona hotels and most centrally located apartments. We’ll organise your transportation, nightly entertainment and make sure your stay is as stress free as it is unforgettable. Click on this link to fill in our request form.
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