Google is in talks to acquire WhatsApp For $1 Billion
Google is in negotiations to acquire cross-platform messaging application WhatsApp, Digital Trends reported.
An inside source of Digital Trends reported that Google has been in talks to buy the popular cross-platform messaging app for “four or five weeks,” and the current offer is said to be “close to” $1 billion.
WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging applications available to mobile users. The app allows users on almost any mobile platform — including Android, iOS, BlackBerry, and Windows Phone — to send instant messages, images, audio, and video messages to one another. The messaging app essentially allows for cross-platform texting without having to pay for SMS.
WhatsApp has not released its user base estimate, it is widely assumed to be more than 300 million. This past New Year’s Eve, WhatsApp processed more than 11 billion outbound messages. WhatsApp has become a massively popular service on all continents, but it is particularly big in Europe and Latin America where its market penetration among smartphone users tops 80% in countries including Brazil, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany.