WhatsApp Reaches 100 Million Monthly Users in the United States
WhatsApp this week reached a significant milestone of 100 million monthly active users in the United States, a market traditionally dominated by other messaging services such as SMS and iMessage.
The achievement, announced in an official blog post, indicates a potential shift in the American messaging landscape, where WhatsApp has steadily gained ground despite the longstanding popularity of Apple's iMessage. The Meta-owned messaging app is extremely popular in Europe owing to its cross-platform compatibility.
In recent years Meta invested heavily in U.S. marketing campaigns, including high-visibility ad placements in Times Square and television spots emphasizing privacy and end-to-end encryption. A recent campaign featured the cast of the TV show "Modern Family" highlighting WhatsApp's cross-platform capabilities.
The milestone of 100 million users is particularly impressive given the competition from iMessage, which has been the preferred messaging service for many iPhone users due to its default, seamless integration with Apple's ecosystem. However, WhatsApp's ability to offer a unified messaging experience across different devices apparently resonates with a significant portion of the American population, especially in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Miami, and Seattle.
WhatsApp's milestone comes at a time when the iPhone's messaging landscape is poised for further changes. Apple is set to introduce Rich Communication Services (RCS) in iOS 18 later this year, a move that should significantly enhance the functionality of messages sent between iPhones and Android devices. RCS offers features like high-quality media sharing, read receipts, and typing indicators, which could potentially reduce the need for third-party apps like WhatsApp for advanced messaging capabilities. However, it is notable that RCS does not offer end-to-end encryption – a key WhatsApp feature.
Popular Stories
We've been focusing on deals on physical products over the past few weeks, but Black Friday is also a great time of year to purchase a streaming membership. Some of the biggest services have great discounts for new and select returning members this week, including Disney+, Hulu, Paramount+, Peacock, and more.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a...
Apple's first foldable iPhone is expected to launch alongside the iPhone 18 Pro models in fall 2026, and it's shaping up to include three standout features that could set it apart from the competition.
The book-style foldable will reportedly feature an industry-first 24-megapixel under-display camera built into the inner display, according to a recent JP Morgan equity research report. That...
We're only a few days away from Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When...
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports.
Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we talk through all of the new features and improvements expected to come to next year's iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models.
Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos
Apple's next-generation iPhones are less than ten months away and we already have a good idea about what to expect based on corroborated leaks, rumors,...
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more.
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date.
Keep reading...
iOS 27 will reportedly have two major elements: quality improvements and new AI features.
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that iOS 27 will be similar to Mac OS X Snow Leopard, in the sense that Apple is focused on improving "quality and underlying performance" over adding new features.
Gurman said there is one exception to this rule, though, as he expects...
American multinational news company CNN has abruptly pulled its content from Apple News, Semafor reports.
CNN quietly removed its stories from Apple News over the weekend and there is no longer a feed from the network to subscribe to in the app. This effectively ends its distribution agreement with Apple while the two sides negotiate new terms. Discussions are apparently ongoing and CNN's...
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. However, it is now completely sold out in all countries where it was released.
iPhone Pocket became available to order on Apple's online store starting Friday, November 14, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, ...
