WhatsApp Now Has Two Billion Users

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is announcing a major milestone today. The messaging service now has 2 billion users worldwide, joining the core Facebook app in the 2-billion club.

Facebook acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion back in 2014. The service had 1.5 billion users back in 2018, and 1 billion back in 2016. It’s grown its user base by 1 billion in the last four years.

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Facebook’s other app, Instagram, had 1 billion users back in 2018. The company said in a recent earnings call that 2.26 billion users were either opening Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, or WhatsApp each day, reports TechCrunch.

WhatsApp head Will Cathcart took this opportunity to signify the importance of encryption as the service’s end-to-end encryption faces increased pressure from governments and lawmakers around the world. “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,” the company said.