WhatsApp users are making 100 million calls everyday

WhatsApp users are making 100 million calls every day, the company has announced. The calls are made using WhatsApp Calling, a feature that lets you stay in touch with others via voice calls versus the chats the app is most commonly used for. The voice calling feature is a nice alternative to using one's phone to make the call — it is arguably more convenient, but can also be safer in the privacy sense, at least if certain whistleblower leaks are to be believed.

As with texting, many people are ditching their phone's dedicated voice calling feature in favor of using apps like WhatsApp and Skype. The reasons are numerous, and usually revolve around things like encryption, (much) better call quality, easier group calling methods, and in the case of certain apps versus certain phone plans, using apps can be cheaper (read: free in may cases).

In a blog post this week, WhatsApp announced that there are 100 million voice calls taking place over WhatsApp Calling every day, which amounts to 1,100 calls every second. A huge number, yes, but not quite as huge as the billion user milestone the company hit back in February.

WhatsApp Calling, for those unfamiliar, is a feature available on the iPhone, Android, BlackBerry 10, and Windows Phone versions of the WhatsApp mobile app. The calling feature is free to use (it is particularly appealing for international calls), though of course it requires a good Internet connection. As such, you won't use up any of your phone's minutes, but you will use data if you're not connected to a WiFi network.

SOURCE: WhatsApp Blog