WhatsApp CEO and co-founder Jan Koum revealed a new feature for the messaging app at Mobile World Congress today: voice calling.
Acquired by Facebook last week for $16 billion, WhatsApp is the world’s largest messaging service, with over 440 million users (over 200,000 of which are in Ireland) world-wide.
The addition of voice calling will put the subscription app’s feature set on a par with competitors Viber, Telegram and Skype.
Unlike its competition that rely on advertising, gift purchases or call credit putchases, Whatsapp uses a subscription model where users pay 99c a year.
“Our goal is to be on every mobile phone in the world,” Koum said.
Voice calling will be available on WhatsApp from the second quarter of 2014 for Android and iOS. Windows Phone and Blackberry users will have to wait until later this year.
Koum also mentioned possible deals with mobile carriers, whose call and SMS revenues could take a substantial hit if WhatsApp is more widely adopted.
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