It allows users to send text messages, voice messages, and video messages, make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other content. In January 2018, WhatsApp released a standalone business app called WhatsApp Business which can communicate with the standard WhatsApp client. As of May 2025, the service had 3 billion monthly active users, making it the most used messenger app. This allows users to send messages between other messaging apps and WhatsApp while maintaining end-to-end encryption. The company also reported that Windows Phone operating systems would no longer be supported after December 31, 2019. WhatsApp was announced to be the 3rd most downloaded Lucky Friends casino mobile phone app of the decade 2010–2019.
India
- By early January 2015, WhatsApp had 700 million monthly users and over 30 billion messages every day.
- Sequoia Capital received an approximate 5,000% return on its initial investment.
- The desktop version was first only available to Android, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone users.
- In April 2018, WhatsApp co-founder and CEO Jan Koum announced he would be leaving the company.
- The ban was prompted by concerns of US authorities potentially accessing user data for such apps because of the CLOUD Act.
- Many WhatsApp Desktop users are unaware of the numerous privacy-related options.
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On November 14, 2016, WhatsApp added video calling for users using Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone devices. This ability (named multi-device support) began testing in July 2021 and rolled out to all users in April 2023. They link to and sync with WhatsApp actively running on a supported primary phone. Linked devices automatically log out after 14 days of inactivity on the primary phone. In June 2023, a feature called WhatsApp Channels was launched which allows content creators, public figures and organizations to send newsletter-like broadcasts to large numbers of users.
Status Saver App Duo Save Plus
As of 2025, the software requires at least Android version 5.0 or iOS version 15.1 respectively. WhatsApp also introduced chat filters, allowing users to sort their chats by All, Unread or Groups. This was implemented only on Samsung phones, with plans to expand to Android and iOS “soon”.
WhatsApp Desktop
- The company also reported that Windows Phone operating systems would no longer be supported after December 31, 2019.
- In September 2017, security researchers reported to The New York Times that the WhatsApp service had been completely blocked in China.
- You can also decide who can see your profile pictures and statuses and even lock your user session by setting a special password.
- This was implemented only on Samsung phones, with plans to expand to Android and iOS “soon”.
- On February 24, 2017, WhatsApp launched a new Status feature similar to Snapchat and Facebook stories.
- WhatsApp is owned by Meta, whose main social media service Facebook has been blocked in China since 2009.
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At the time, it was the largest acquisition of a venture-capital-backed company in history. Sequoia Capital received an approximate 5,000% return on its initial investment. Days after the announcement, WhatsApp users experienced a loss of service, leading to anger across social media. In 2016, WhatsApp was accused of copying features from a then-unreleased version of iMessage.
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- End-to-end encryption was only fully implemented in April 2016 after a two-year process.
- In July 2017, WhatsApp added support for file uploads of all file types, with a limit of 100 MB.
- In November 2023, WhatsApp also began rolling out support for sending login codes to a linked email address, rather than via SMS.
- To start using WhatsApp Desktop, you first must log in with your WhatsApp user account.
- This new encryption feature added an additional layer of protection to chat backups stored either on Apple iCloud or Google Drive.
- Edited messages were tagged as “edited” to inform recipients that the content had been modified.
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App Functionality
Many WhatsApp Desktop users are unaware of the numerous privacy-related options. You can also decide who can see your profile pictures and statuses and even lock your user session by setting a special password. One of the most important parts of WhatsApp Desktop is that, as mentioned above, it offers the same features as the mobile version but on PC.
Africa, Middle East, and India
In July 2017, WhatsApp added support for file uploads of all file types, with a limit of 100 MB. In November 2023, WhatsApp added a “voice chat” feature for groups with more than 32 members. In 2022, WhatsApp added the ability for users to turn off their online status. Three days after announcing the Facebook purchase, Koum said they were working to introduce voice calls. Although Acton was working on another startup idea, he decided to join the company.