WhatsApp to bring voice calling to Android and iOS in Q2 2014

News by:  Jared Peters 24th Feb 2014

As we all know that Facebook had bought the WhatsApp, and here comes the new announcement from WhatsApp under new management from Facebook, has shifted course slightly on its 2014 roadmap. At MWC this year, CEO of the company, Jan Koum, announced that WhatsApp users would be seeing a new feature rolled out in the next few months: voice calling.

Voice calling will initially become available to Android and iOS users in Q2 of 2014, with BlackBerry and Windows Phone users seeing the addition later on in the year. They didn’t reveal any details about how the voice calling would work, but it’s very likely that it will work like WhatsApp’s normal messaging service in that users will get a free trial period, then have to pay 99 cents per year to keep using it. Of course, if that is the plan, it’s still as cheap as ever.

So far, it’s looking like Facebook plans to keep WhatsApp separate, but continue to drive new features for the app. Voice calling is just the first step, and I imagine we’ll see more news from the company later this year.

news source: talkandroid.com

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Facebook is going to acquire WhatsApp in $19B deal

News by:  Jeff Causey 19th Feb 2014

Facebook announced that an agreement had been reached for the social media giant to acquire WhatsApp, one of the most popular, fastest growing mobile messaging platforms. The deal includes a cash payment of $4B, the issuance of $12B worth of Facebook Class A common stock, and another $3B in restricted stock to be issued to WhatsApp employees. Combined, the new stockholders from WhatsApp will represent almost 8% of Facebook shareholders. Shortly after the announcement, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and WhatsApp CEO Jan Koum held a conference call to provide additional details and insight into the deal.

Zuckerberg said the acquisition of WhatsApp aligns with Facebook’s own goal of moving to be more mobile oriented and ultimately to connect everyone on the planet. In looking at WhatsApp, Zuckerberg and his team think the platform will reach 1 billion users in the next few years based on their current growth of 1 million new users per day. Zuckerberg also addressed concerns about Facebook Messenger, saying “WhatsApp is more about real-time and we see those as two very different use cases.”

Koum said he is “excited and honored to partner with Mark and Facebook as we continue to bring our product to more people around the world.” During the conference call, questions were raised about advertising appearing in WhatsApp and about whether current rates, only 99 cents per year, might increase. The two CEOs pretty much avoided answering the questions directly other than to say advertising probably was not the best way to monetize WhatsApp and messaging in general.

No timeline was provided for the deal to close, though no regulatory stumbling blocks are anticipated so it should occur before the end of the year. At least for the short term, WhatsApp is expected to continue to operate independently post-acquisition.

news source: talkandroid.com

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