More than 3 billion people open WhatsApp at least once a month, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during a briefing following the release of the company’s quarterly financial results.
WhatsApp, launched in 2009 and acquired by Facebook (now Meta) in 2014 for $19 billion, remains free to use and does not display ads. The instant messaging service surpassed 2 billion monthly active users in 2020 and is now one of the few apps—alongside Facebook itself—to reach the 3 billion mark. This colossal user base makes WhatsApp a crucial project for Meta, especially as the company intensifies its focus on artificial intelligence.
AI Integration and Business Growth
“We see people connecting to Meta AI through different entry points. WhatsApp continues to be the most active user of Meta AI,” said Meta CFO Susan Li. Most users access Meta AI within private chats, she added. While WhatsApp provides simple and convenient access to AI tools, Meta had to adjust its approach for markets such as the United States. In these regions, users tend to use messaging apps primarily for communication, Zuckerberg noted. As a result, Meta decided to launch a separate Meta AI app to encourage broader adoption.
Meanwhile, the WhatsApp Business platform is expanding steadily, adds NIX Solutions. It contributed a notable portion of the $510 million in revenue from the family of apps segment. Meta is currently testing AI features for WhatsApp Business, including a new interface for managing AI agents and a toolbar that allows third-party businesses to train Meta AI models using their own data. The company is also piloting AI chatbots that can interact directly with customers through business chats. These developments are part of Meta’s broader effort to incorporate AI across all aspects of its platforms.
WhatsApp’s scale and integration with AI tools position it as a central component of Meta’s future strategy. With ongoing development and experiments across both user-facing and business-oriented features, we’ll keep you updated as more integrations become available.