WhatsApp Crosses the 1 Billion Install Mark, Joins Facebook and Numerous Google Apps

Today, Facebook must be proud. They bought WhatsApp a little over a year ago, and it doesn’t seem like they’ve done a whole lot with the company – at least that we can see, I’m sure there’s been some changes internally. Back in September, Facebook became the first app that wasn’t developed by Google, to hit the 1 billion mark. That means over 1 billion people have installed Facebook on their device. That doesn’t mean that 1 billion people currently have it installed though. And now in March, WhatsApp has finally reached the 1 billion mark. Making it just the second non-Google app to hit that mark.

This news also means that WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app out there. Which doesn’t really surprise me. It is available on just about every platform, even Windows Phone and Blackberry, not to mention it’s not blocked in certain countries like Google’s services. There’s a reason Mark Zuckerberg wanted to get his hands on WhatsApp. WhatsApp is very popular in developing countries. The number one reason is that it’s a small app in size. In developing countries, their phones are typically of the Moto E variety, so there’s not a whole lot of space, but they still cost a fortune. So having a messaging app that doesn’t take up a ton of space is key. This is also why Facebook made Facebook Lite a few months back. To get people in developing countries to use Facebook more when they are not at their computer.

So let’s all welcome WhatsApp to the club, they definitely deserve it. While their app is not material design, it’s still uber popular. Makes you wonder, how many downloads do they have on the other platforms? As I know a lot of iOS users that use WhatsApp. So who will be next to enter the 1 billion download club? I’m willing to bet it’ll be Twitter, Instagram or Pandora. All of those are super popular, and most of them are pre-installed on new smartphones already. Who’s your pick to enter the 1 billion club next? Be sure to let us know in the comments down below.