Messaging and VoIP service owned by Meta / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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WhatsApp (also called WhatsApp Messenger) is an internationally available freeware, cross-platform, centralized instant messaging (IM) and voice-over-IP (VoIP) service owned by American company Meta Platforms.[11] It allows users to send text and voice messages,[12] make voice and video calls, and share images, documents, user locations, and other content.[13][14] WhatsApp's client application runs on mobile devices, and can be accessed from computers.[15] The service requires a cellular mobile telephone number to sign up.[16] In January 2018, WhatsApp released a standalone business app called WhatsApp Business which can communicate with the standard WhatsApp client.[17][18]
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| Original author(s) | Brian Acton, Jan Koum | ||||||||
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| Developer(s) | Meta Platforms, Will Cathcart (Head of WhatsApp)[1][2] | ||||||||
| Initial release | January 2009 | ||||||||
| Stable release(s) [±] | |||||||||
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| Preview release(s) [±] | |||||||||
| Multiple releases
Android - 2.21.16.2 Date - July 26, 2021"WhatsApp Messenger APKs". APKMirror. | |||||||||
| Written in | Erlang[5] | ||||||||
| Operating system | Android, iOS, KaiOS (There are also Mac OS, Windows and web app clients that work only when connected to the mobile app client.) | ||||||||
| Size | 178 MB (iOS)[6] 33.85 MB (Android)[7] | ||||||||
| Available in | 40 (iOS) and 60 (Android)[8] languages | ||||||||
| Type | Instant messaging, VoIP | ||||||||
| License | Proprietary software with EULA "European Region"[9] "others"[10] | ||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||
The client application was created by WhatsApp Inc. of Mountain View, California, which was acquired by Facebook in February 2014 for approximately US$19.3 billion.[19][20] It became the world's most popular messaging application by 2015,[21][22] and had more than 2 billion users worldwide by February 2020.[23] By 2016, it had become the primary means of Internet communication in regions including Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, and large parts of Europe and Africa.[21]