WhatsApp Processes Record 64bn Messages in One Day

WhatsAppWhatsApp has revealed it has processed a record 64bn messages sent through its OTT app in the space of 24 hours.

As usual with WhatsApps figures, that 64bn figure actually consists of two parts. It includes 44bn inbound messages received by users, leaving 20bn unique outbound messages.

Inbound is the larger of the two parts because messages can be sent to multiple recipients – an average of 2.2, based on these figures.

Last June, WhatsApp processed 27bn messages in one day, 10bn of which were unique. It seems the messaging app is still experiencing strong growth, though whether this is driven by new users or just higher engagement is unclear.

For comparison, fellow Facebook acquisition Instagram announced last week that it had seen a total 20bn photos shared on its social network over its entire three-year history. While Instagrams photo posts represent a more significant commitment of time on the users behalf, as WhatsApp messages can be as short as a single character, its worth pointing that this is the same number of unique messages that are being sent through WhatsApp over the course of a single day.

For anyone whos still struggling to understand why Facebook paid $16bn for the company back in February – 16 times what it paid for Instagram two years earlier – these figures might shine some light on the decision. Users are increasingly headed to WhatsApp and its equivalents in other markets and Facebook, it seems, didnt want to get left behind.