WHATSAPP CONTINUES TO be one of the most popular instant messaging services worldwide after its founder announced it passed the 600 million monthly active users.

Back in April, the service crossed the half a billion mark, meaning it gained 100 million new users in roughly four months. At that point, the app saw more than 700 million photos and 100 million videos shared through it every day.

Its co-founder and CEO, Jan Koum, also took a small dig at rivals by indirectly mentioning those who refer to registered users.

In comparison, Viber has 100 million active users, while its closest rival Line has more than 400 million active users.

While WhatsApp continues to be ad-free, one of the challenges for it is trying to increase revenue. The company says it charges users €0.99 a year after one year of free use and is estimated to generate revenue of $20 million.

However, rivals like Line, which makes money from in-app purchases like stickers and mobile games, generated more than $500 million last year.

Read: The most popular messaging service among Irish adults isn’t WhatsApp or Viber… >

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