Meta’s messaging platform WhatsApp has reached a significant milestone, crossing the 3 billion monthly active user threshold, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg during the company’s Q1 2025 earnings call. The app, acquired by Meta (then Facebook) in 2014 for $19 billion, has added a billion users since 2020 and joins Facebook as one of the few apps globally to pass this benchmark.
The massive user base underscores WhatsApp’s strategic importance to Meta, particularly as the company accelerates its efforts in artificial intelligence. “We see people engage with Meta AI from several different entry points. WhatsApp continues to see the strongest Meta AI usage across our family of apps,” said Meta CFO Susan Li, adding that most users interact with Meta’s AI tools through one-on-one chats.
While WhatsApp dominates messaging in many regions, Zuckerberg acknowledged the company faces challenges in the U.S., where users still prefer native messaging apps. To address this, Meta recently introduced the standalone Meta AI app to better compete in the American market. “We hope to become the leader over time [in the U.S. messaging market],” Zuckerberg said, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies across different regions.
WhatsApp’s business-facing platform also contributed significantly to Meta’s earnings, playing a major role in the $510 million revenue reported from the company’s family of apps. Meta is expanding AI integration into WhatsApp Business, testing new tools that would allow businesses to train Meta’s AI using their own content, such as website data or social media pages. These capabilities aim to enhance customer interaction through features like automated responses and personalized assistance.
