WhatsApp instant messaging service's CEO and co-founder Jan Koum announced on September 3, Thursday that the company has reached the milestone of 900 million monthly active users (MAUs), passing services including Facebook Messenger. While the company lacks a business model, it has recently made wholesale changes since Facebook bought it last year.
The app's user base has doubled during the past two years, according to Mashable. However, during 2013 and 2014 it lost hundreds of millions of dollars.
WhatsApp previously charged its users $1 per month and the first year was free, according to Tech Crunch. However, that changed after the acquisition by Facebook for $19 billion last year.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stated that his company has several methods to monetize after a product hits one billion users. WhatsApp has almost reached that mark.
It is not clear how Facebook will monetize WhatsApp. That is especially true since Koum has ruled out ads, games, and gimmicks.
One option is to use the Facebook Messenger chat app to link consumers and brands. That would mirror the use of its "M" personal concierge service.
Adding WhatsApp to Messenger would make the chat app more attractive to brands and developers. That would help to earn revenue.
Earlier this year, Facebook Chief Financial Officer (CFO) David Wehner implied that WhatsApp might launch new paid features. For example, businesses could use the service to message customers.
However, putting the app in the black could be a challenge. That is due to WhatsApp struggling in the United States' market, and its user base existing around the world.
WhatsApp was first released in 2009. The cross-platform app sends texts, photos, videos, and other types of data through the Internet.