WhatsApp to Offer Free Calls
Since its founding in 2009, WhatsApp has maintained its simple approach – no frills, “no ads, no games, no gimmicks” said CEO Jason Koum.
But last week Koum announced that WhatsApp will expand to provide free voice calls sometime in the second quarter of 2014. The new feature will roll out on Android and iOS devices first and eventually make its way to Windows Phone and Blackberry.
WhatsApp will have a lot of competition in Viber, Line and BBM but Koum is confident. “We use the least amount of bandwidth and optimize the hell out of it,” Koum said.
WhatsApp has 450 million users worldwide and engagement rates at over 70%. No wonder Koum is confident.
You also may have heard that WhatsApp recently got acquired by Facebook for $19 billion. But Koum reiterates that WhatsApp will continue operating independently of Facebook. “There are no planned changes. We can only get our product to a billion or 2 billion users if we continue down the path we started on.”
WhatsApp is free to use for the first year and then $1 per year after that.
