Mobile messenger and communication apps - statistics & facts
Chat and messaging apps have become a strong force in the mobile app sector. Messaging apps have also increased the range of services they offer since rising to prominence in the 2010s. The number of mobile phone messaging app users worldwide is projected to grow to 4.6 billion by 2026.
According to a survey conducted in December 2023, the leading method for personal communications among global consumers was text messages, while video calls were used by less than 10 percent of the global digital population. In 2020, the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic drove users towards engaging more with both voice and video calls, with usage of video conferencing and video call apps increasing both for private and professional purposes. However, downloads of leading video conferencing apps Zoom and Microsoft Teams continued to decline in 2023.
In March 2024, Telegram launched a business version of the platforms’ accounts. With the move, Telegram will compete more fiercely with the Meta-owned WhatsApp. WhatsApp Business launched in January 2018 and only opened verified business accounts. The number of monthly active WhatsApp Business users reached 200 million in June 2023, three times the accounts the platform recorded in July 2020.
According to a survey conducted in December 2023, the leading method for personal communications among global consumers was text messages, while video calls were used by less than 10 percent of the global digital population. In 2020, the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic drove users towards engaging more with both voice and video calls, with usage of video conferencing and video call apps increasing both for private and professional purposes. However, downloads of leading video conferencing apps Zoom and Microsoft Teams continued to decline in 2023.
Meta-powered messaging apps
Meta currently owns two leading messaging app products: Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp. The social media giant acquired WhatsApp in early 2014 for an eye-watering 19 billion U.S. dollars. WhatsApp is by far the most used communication and chat messaging app: in a single internet minute in 2023, global users sent over 41.6 million WhatsApp messages. In 2024, WhatsApp was the most popular global mobile messenger app, followed by Chinese-based WeChat. Facebook Messenger ranked third and counted almost one billion users – despite falling short of more prominent social media and chat apps in its main market of the United States.Telegram vs. WhatsApp: moving towards business accounts
Launched in 2013 by the creators of Russian social network VKontakte, Telegram reached the milestone of one billion lifetime downloads in August 2021. The chat app launched its first direct monetization plans in June 2022 with Telegram Premium, a subscription service offering users several improved features. The number of paying subscribers of Telegram worldwide reached five million at the beginning of 2024.In March 2024, Telegram launched a business version of the platforms’ accounts. With the move, Telegram will compete more fiercely with the Meta-owned WhatsApp. WhatsApp Business launched in January 2018 and only opened verified business accounts. The number of monthly active WhatsApp Business users reached 200 million in June 2023, three times the accounts the platform recorded in July 2020.
