14 DAY TRIAL // On April 1, WhatsApp managed to mark a new world record when it comes to mobile messaging, announcing that its users sent and received no less than 64 billion messages within 24 hours.
According to the company, its servers registered 20 billion sent messages (inbound), as well as 44 billion received messages (outbound), which resulted in the aforementioned total record of 64 billion.
The company included here messages that were sent to groups as well, which explains why there’s a difference between sent and received.
The new figure is more than double the number of messages that WhatsApp was processing a year ago, when it announced 27 billion daily messages.
The number is quite impressive and confirms that mobile messaging services are far more popular these days, when compared to carrier powered text messaging features.
As TNW notes, WhatsApp announced earlier this year that it had over 465 million monthly active users.
Soon, the service will also provide users with the possibility to make voice calls to their contacts, all for free, the same as sending and receiving text messages (though the service requires a $1/year fee after the first year).
The addition of VoIP capabilities should make WhatsApp even more popular among mobile phone users, though it remains to be seen when they arrive, and which markets will enjoy them.