WhatsApp is a popular messaging app that allows users to send messages, photos, videos and make voice and video calls. It was initially launched as an app for smartphones in 2009 by Brian Acton and Jan Koum, former employees of Yahoo. WhatsApp has become one of the most widely used messaging platforms globally, with over 2 billion monthly active users as of 2022. But what device platform did WhatsApp first launch on back in 2009?
The Origins of WhatsApp
In 2009, smartphones were still a relatively new technology. The first iPhone had only been released a couple of years prior in 2007. The Android operating system was also just starting to take off after being acquired by Google in 2005. At the time, BlackBerry devices were still quite popular, especially among business users. They were known for their keyboards and messaging capabilities through BlackBerry Messenger (BBM).
WhatsApp founders Acton and Koum had deep experience in the mobile space. They both worked at Yahoo in the mobile engineering department in the early 2000s. This gave them significant insight into the fast-growing smartphone market and the potential for mobile messaging apps.
After leaving Yahoo in 2007, Acton and Koum took some time off from working. During this break, they realized the potential for an internet-based messaging app that could work across different smartphone platforms. They decided to focus their efforts on building out such an app.
The First WhatsApp Release
After months of development, WhatsApp was first launched in November 2009, exclusively on the Apple iOS platform. The first version was released on the App Store for iPhone users.
At the time, the iPhone was still gaining popularity but had a relatively small market share compared to BlackBerry and feature phones. However, Acton and Koum saw the potential for growth in the smartphone market and believed the iPhone would help drive adoption of their messaging app. Their bet proved correct, as the iPhone and other iOS devices significantly expanded their market share over the next several years.
The initial WhatsApp app provided basic messaging capabilities to allow iPhone users to send each other unlimited messages, photos, videos and voice messages over the internet. This provided an alternative to traditional SMS messaging which could be costly and limited in most mobile plans.
Some key features of the first WhatsApp iOS application included:
- Send text messages to contacts for free over Wi-Fi or mobile data
- Group chat with up to 30 people
- Share photos, videos and voice messages
- Add contacts using phone numbers
- See when contacts are online and their last seen status
- Notifications when you receive a new message
The app quickly gained popularity as the first major alternative messaging platform for iOS users. Positive reviews started coming in, praising WhatsApp for its simplicity, effectiveness, and cost-saving capabilities compared to traditional SMS and MMS.
Cross-Platform Expansion
Given the fragmented state of the mobile ecosystem at the time, exclusively launching on iOS helped focus initial development efforts for WhatsApp. It also allowed them to be one of the early pioneers in providing a messaging app for iPhone users.
However, Acton and Koum always envisioned WhatsApp as a cross-platform messaging solution. Even in the early days they referred to it as an app for “your phone” rather than an iPhone-specific app.
In February 2009, a version for BlackBerry devices was released to expand WhatsApp’s reach. This was followed by a release for Android in August 2010 as Android’s market share expanded dramatically.
WhatsApp continued expanding support to other smartphone platforms over the next few years:
- Symbian – April 2011
- Windows Phone – May 2012
- Nokia S40 – August 2012
- Nokia S60 – November 2012
By early 2013, WhatsApp was available on all major smartphone platforms, giving it enormous reach across key mobile users globally. What started as an iOS exclusive app quickly became a ubiquitous cross-platform communication service.
Native App vs. Web App
Another key decision WhatsApp made in its early days was to focus on native app development for each mobile OS instead of creating a web-based app accessible from mobile browsers.
Native apps provided better performance, a smoother user experience, tighter integration with smartphone features like contacts and notifications, and the ability to function offline. These advantages were critical for a messaging app back in 2009 when mobile bandwidth was still limited.
The tradeoff was having to develop and maintain separate apps for each platform instead of a single web app. But the superior user experience was critical for WhatsApp to compete with messaging services from BlackBerry, Apple and others. Over time web-based access was added to complement the native apps as smartphone capabilities improved.
Acquisition by Facebook
Within a few years of its launch, WhatsApp had grown to over 200 million monthly active users worldwide. Its early growth was truly phenomenal for a startup app developer.
WhatsApp’s momentum as a cross-platform communication service caught Facebook’s attention. After initial acquisition talks in 2012, Facebook announced an agreement in February 2014 to buy WhatsApp for $19 billion. At the time, this was the largest acquisition ever for a venture-backed startup.
This demonstrated how valuable WhatsApp’s mobile messaging platform had become in just a few years since launching as an iOS-only app. The huge user base and engagement WhatsApp was able to generate across mobile cemented its position as one of the world’s top apps.
Facebook has continued to develop and expand WhatsApp’s features and capabilities as mobile messaging remains extremely popular globally. User growth has skyrocketed to over 2 billion monthly active users. WhatsApp’s multi-platform strategy and mobile-first focus was a key factor in enabling this massive growth and success.
Conclusion
WhatsApp began as an iOS-exclusive app when it launched in 2009, at a time when the iPhone was still new and growing in popularity. The founders’ vision was always to expand WhatsApp into a cross-platform messaging app. Within a couple years it was available on all major smartphone operating systems, including Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone.
Focusing first on the iOS version allowed WhatsApp to polish the user experience and quickly establish itself as a leading messaging app for early iPhone adopters. From there they were able to scale across platforms as smartphones became ubiquitous. WhatsApp’s mobile-first approach and utilising native apps for each OS were key strategic decisions that enabled its massive growth over the past decade. Expanding beyond its iOS origins to become a platform-agnostic communications service cemented WhatsApp as one of the most important and widely used apps in the world today.
WhatsApp User Growth Over the Years
Here is a table showing key user milestones for WhatsApp from its initial launch up until 2014 when it was acquired by Facebook:
| Date | WhatsApp Users |
|---|---|
| July 2009 | Launched on iOS |
| December 2009 | 1 million active users |
| December 2010 | 5 million active users |
| August 2011 | 100 million active users |
| April 2012 | 200 million active users |
| December 2012 | 300 million active users |
| July 2013 | 400 million active users |
| April 2014 | 500 million active users |
This quick growth from 1 million to 500 million users in less than 5 years highlights how popular WhatsApp became globally across all major mobile platforms after its initial iOS launch. Expanding quickly beyond iOS was key to tapping into this massive demand for mobile messaging.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions about WhatsApp’s launch history on various mobile platforms:
Why did WhatsApp originally launch on iOS only?
WhatsApp launched exclusively on iOS in 2009 because the iPhone was the most advanced smartphone at the time with a growing user base. Starting with iOS allowed WhatsApp to focus on one platform before expanding.
When did WhatsApp become available for Android and other platforms?
After the iOS launch, WhatsApp expanded to BlackBerry in 2010, Android in 2011, Symbian in 2012, and Windows Phone in 2013. This cross-platform strategy was always part of the founders’ vision.
Was WhatsApp ever available as a web app?
No, WhatsApp always focused on native mobile apps for each platform. This allowed optimizations for performance, notifications, and offline use. A web app was eventually added in 2015 but the native apps remain the core experience.
How many users did WhatsApp have when it was acquired by Facebook?
WhatsApp had about 450 million monthly active users when Facebook announced the acquisition in February 2014 for $19 billion.
Was the iOS app the reason for WhatsApp’s success?
The iOS launch helped WhatsApp quickly gain popularity among early iPhone adopters. But expanding to Android and other platforms enabled its massive global growth to billions of users across multiple mobile operating systems.