Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today on his WhatsApp channel that WhatsApp now has 100 million monthly active users in the US as of July 25th.
According to WhatsApp, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Seattle are among the fastest-growing markets in the country. However, the company says it’s experienced “significant growth” in Southern states as well, with more than 10 million users in Texas.
“This is the first time data pertaining to users has been released since Meta’s acquisition of the messaging app and demonstrates how the messaging platform, already the biggest messaging app in the world, has experienced tremendous growth in the U.S.,” WhatsApp spokesperson Ashley O’Reilly wrote in a press release.
Since purchasing WhatsApp for $16 billion in 2014, Meta has put a lot of effort into making the app as popular in the US as it is internationally. One such way is by advertising WhatsApp’s availability on iOS and Android, particularly how easy it is to message users across platforms. (Because iPhones don’t need to switch from iMessage to SMS, messages from Androids don’t show up as green bubble with lower-quality images, removed encryption, and shortened messages.) Recently, WhatsApp captured attention when it reunited the cast of Modern Family for an ad promoting this very feature to families.
Yet, while WhatsApp now boasts more than 2 billion users in over 180 countries, it’s still less popular in the US than rivals like Apple’s iMessage. While it might have experienced growth in the US, it’s going to be even harder for WhatsApp to compete once Apple replaces Rich Communication Services (RCS) as the communication protocol between Android and iOS devices. RCS support will be coming to iOS 18 this fall, which means iPhone users won’t necessarily need to switch group chats over to WhatsApp — and Meta really needs to start rethinking its marketing strategy.
Correction, July 25th: Due to an incorrect press release, an earlier version of this article stated that the 100 million stat was for daily users. It’s in fact monthly active users.
