This is how founders of WhatsApp got the idea to start the messaging service

Few of the greatest of products in the world were discovered to solve simplest of the problems. WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum reveals what got him the idea to start the world’s most popular instant messaging service

The problem that Jon Koum missed calls when he was at the gym got him the idea to found WhatsApp, the co-founder and CEO of the Facebook-owned company said on Wednesday.

Talking to an audience of several hundred Silicon Valley veterans gathered for an event at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California, Koum said that he was annoyed that he was missing lot of calls when he was at the gym. "It started with me buying an iPhone," he said.

He along with Brian Acton in 2009 decided to solve the problem by building an app which would let their friends know if they are available or occupied with something. And, the weapon in WhatsApp’s armour was ‘status’—an easy-to-use feature.

"We didn't set out to build a company. We just wanted to build a product that people used," CNBC quoted Koum.

The app, however, was not an overnight success despite being accepted into Apple’s Play store. "We were so excited when it launched. And, so disappointed when no one used it," he said.

Fortunes changed quickly and by 2014 the app had more than 400 million users thanks to its clutter free and no-nonsense design.

In the same year, Facebook bought the company in a record USD 19 billion deal which made both co-founders overnight
billionaires.

When asked what was the most he remembered about the deal, Koum said that even though it’s blurry he could recall sitting in the room with lawyers. "It was all a blur. I don't remember any of that except being in a room with lawyers for three days straight," he said.

When CNBC asked what it was like since Acton left the company last year, Koum answered, "We miss Brian."

Currently, WhatsApp has more than 1.3 billion users across geographies, second only to its owner Facebook which has over 2 billion users in social media space.

Comments

8 Ways to Download Paid Apps for Free in 2019

The highly-referred quote, “ the best things in life are free “, by French fashion designer Coco Chanel is often read without the part succeeding it, “ the second best are very expensive “. Looking at this from the perspective of smartphones, you’ll agree that while some of the greatest apps for both Android and iOS are the ones available for free, there are many great apps which require you to pay. For example, while games like PUBG Mobile and Fortnite are great examples for the dandy freebies, other games like Final Fantasy, Limbo, The Room Series, and more are not. If only there was a way to get paid apps for free. Well, for those of you who do not wish to (or cannot, for some reason) pay for such apps and games, we have listed some of the sources you can use to grab paid apps for free legally . Most of the options listed here will serve Android users whereas a few apply to iOS, Windows, and macOS users as well. Get Paid Apps For Free Using These Services 1.

How to chat privately in WhatsApp Groups with friends, family

WhatsApp beta version 2.18.335 for Android has now received a new feature that allows users to reply to Group chats privately. The feature has been in testing for quite some time now and is now finally rolling out to the beta version of the app. The ability to reply to chats privately in a Group has been a widely-requested feature and looks like it will roll out to the stable build in the coming days. As the name suggests, the feature allows any user in a Group to reply to a chat privately, and the reply window takes users to the individual's chat. The feature is particularly useful when Group comments have been set to 'administrators only' and the only way for non-administrators to reply to a chat in a Group is through the 'Reply privately' option. How to chat privately in WhatsApp Groups The feature is currently only available on WhatsApp beta. Ensure that you are a beta tester of the app before proceeding. Update to the latest version of WhatsApp beta

WhatsApp to Soon Get Fingerprint Authentication on Android: Report

HIGHLIGHTS Fingerprint authentication will be required for users to open WhatsApp The new WhatsApp feature is current under development It will protect the entire WhatsApp app and not specific conversations WhatsApp is reportedly working on a fingerprint authentication feature to protect its users' chats from being seen by others. The authentication, once enabled, will be required for users to open the app. The Facebook-owned instant messaging service was recently reported to bring a similar feature to iPhone as well, supporting two biometric authentication methods - both Face ID and Touch ID. It appears this won't be limited to iPhone, and users on Android will get fingerprint authentication, but no facial recognition based authentication, thanks to the lack of a widely used standard on the platform. According to WABetaInfo, a fan site that tests new WhatsApp features early, the feature is current under development, and disabled by default in the Andro

Vc Tech

Search This Blog