Whatsapp Adds Voice Messaging

WhatsApp has reached over 300 million users worldwide, including 20 million active users each in Germany, Mexico, India and Spain, according to CEO Jan Koum. WhatsApp users now send 11 billion messages and receive 20 billion messages per day (counted separately because some messages are sent to more than one recipient). That’s up from 27 billion total in June.

Koum also announced the launch of voice messaging on all versions of the WhatsApp apps. With the new feature, a user pushes to record a message rather than type one. When he lets go, the message sends. If he decides not to send, he swipes to the left and the recording is deleted. There’s also a blue microphone illustration that indicates when a message has been played. After voice messaging rolls out, Koum said he expects to turn his attention to more “media-focused” products, building on the many photos WhatsApp users are already sending. These have now reached 325 million photos per day.