There is no denying that WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. With 1 billion users, it's obvious that there is no shortage of texts being sent and received on the platform. But this isn't the only feature users heavily rely on — and the proof is in the numbers.
It's actually the Facebook-owned app's calling feature that is now making headlines.
WhatsApp revealed in a blog post on Thursday that more than 100 million voice calls are made on the platform every day.
This is an extremely impressive milestone, especially since the voice call feature launched on the app last year. However, another statistic puts it in further perspective: 100 million calls a day is the equivalent to 1,100 calls a second. Talk about people talking on the app.
"We're humbled that so many people have found this feature useful, and we're committed to making it even better in the months to come," the company said.
It should come to no surprise that these calls are made because a lot of people use the app to communicate with others who may live or be traveling internationally without having to pay fees.
Besides being able to make free voice calls, the app is also expected to launch a video calling feature. Images leaked back in May that WhatsApp began testing video calling for its beta program for Android users; however, it was then removed without any explanation. There's a good chance the company is still working out kinks to make sure the feature is ready for its public launch without problems.
The latest feature update to WhatsApp beta version 2.16.188 includes a "Quick Quote" feature that works similar to a tag. This can be used in group conversations so a specific person knows that a comment was directed toward him. The messaging app is also finally adding GIFs, a feature that is now in the iOS beta version of the app.
To keep itself relevant and popular among users as it competes with other messaging apps, WhatsApps (just like the rest of them) routinely rolls out new features. But after learning how many calls are made, we can only imagine how many text messages are sent. This goes to show that it's the main features — like end-to-end encryption on messaging, and yes, even free video calling — that keeps users coming back.
Photo: Sam Azgor | Flickr
