WhatsApp Now Has 400 Million Active Users

Popular messaging application WhatsApp on Thursday announced it now has 400 million monthly active users, a milestone it says no other mobile messaging service has reached.

"This isn't a count of people who just registered for WhatsApp — it's the number of people who are actively using the service every single month," the company said in a blog post. In the past four months alone, WhatsApp has added 100 million active users.

The achievement is quite impressive, especially considering WhatsApp only has 50 employees, and most are engineers. Moreover, the company said it has not bought any targeted ads or marketing campaigns to promote the app.

"We're here because of all the people who share their WhatsApp stories with co-workers, friends, and loved ones — stories we love to hear," WhatsApp said.

WhatsApp is available to owners of Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Nokia S40, Symbian, and Windows Phone devices. The 99-cent app allows users to exchange messages without a paid SMS plan, by using the same data plan on which emails and Web browsing run. The app's founders proudly stand behind the decision to not sell in-app ads.

Meanwhile, the announcement comes just days after security firm F-Secure analyzed a particularly nasty Android app that targets users of WhatsApp. Once the dangerous app is installed, it uploads your WhatsApp conversations to another website where anyone with your phone number can purchase copies.

WhatsApp is available for download via various app stores, or through the startup's website. For more, see PCMag's full review of WhatsApp Messenger for Android and Windows Phone.

About Our Expert

Angela Moscaritolo

Managing Editor, Consumer Electronics

My Experience

I'm PCMag's managing editor for consumer electronics, overseeing an experienced team of analysts covering smart home, home entertainment, wearables, fitness and health tech, and various other product categories. I have been with PCMag for more than 10 years, and in that time have written more than 6,000 articles and reviews for the site. I previously served as an analyst focused on smart home and wearable devices, and before that I was a reporter covering consumer tech news. I'm also a yoga instructor, and have been actively teaching group and private classes for nearly a decade.

Prior to joining PCMag, I was a reporter for SC Magazine, focusing on hackers and computer security. I earned a BS in journalism from West Virginia University, and started my career writing for newspapers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

The Technology I Use

My little Florida beach bungalow is brimming with smart home tech. I have a smart speaker or display in every room, allowing me to control other connected devices by voice. The Nest Hub on my bedside table lets me set wake-up alarms, control my smart light bulbs, and set the temperature on my smart thermostat. I use the Amazon Echo Show 8 on my kitchen counter to browse recipes, reorder protein powder, check the weather, and watch the news while I do dishes.

Because I suffer from allergies, air purifiers are essential. My favorite model is the Dyson Purifier Cool TP07, which doubles as a fan and continuously sends indoor pollution data to its companion mobile app.

My pitbull Bradley sheds, so a good robot vacuum is a must. I currently use a premium Ecovacs Deebot that can both vacuum and mop, empty its own dustbin, and wash its own mop cloth.

For fitness, I like to mix up my routine with cycling, indoor rowing, running, and strength training in addition to yoga. I take classes on the Tonal 2 smart strength training machine, I row indoors on an Aviron machine, and track my beach runs with an Apple Watch while listening to music on my Apple AirPods Pro. On the weekends, I love riding e-bikes like the rugged, beach-friendly Aventon Aventure for fun and fitness.

My job involves a lot of virtual meetings, so a quality webcam, microphone, and ring light are important. I use the Jabra PanaCast 20 webcam, the Elgato Wave: 3 microphone, and a Yesker tripod ring light.

As for my preferred phone platform, I'm an iPhone person, but I've also extensively used Android for product testing.

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