Everybody has been talking about the stunning acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook during the last few days. It’s no surprise, considering that we’re talking about seemingly unprecedented amounts going into the pockets of the small developer team behind the popular mobile chatting service. Why Facebook decided to pay $16 billion (+3 billion in stock) can be answered in multiple ways, and business analysts all across the world have been trying to give the right answers for days now. There are several obvious reasons, and there are also some hidden ones. On the obvious side, WhatsApp is expected to grow exceedingly fast, its users multiplying exponentially every single day. On the less obvious side, Facebook spent a great deal of money not only eliminating strong competition to its own messaging app, but also ensuring a growing user-base indirectly. In fact, one of the biggest gains can come from the Facebook nay-sayers, users that outright refused to have any connection with the leading social media website, but that were fans of WhatsApp at the same time. It’s an expensive, yet extremely effective way for Facebook to turn them around.
So what happens to WhatsApp? Will it remain unchanged in its core functions and business plan? Up until now, WhatsApp gained popularity because it virtually eliminated the need to purchase SMS services from carriers. For a very modest subscription, WhatsApp provides you with an unlimited and easy to use messaging system that pretty much makes paying for SMS services obsolete. It does for texting on mobile devices what Skype does for the phone. And, of course, WhatsApp is free to download, easy to install, and safe to use. No unwanted ads, a very solid trial period and the simple requirement of having some sort of an internet connection is all users needed.
Will WhatsApp remain free to download and cheap to use? Most likely, yes. Facebook didn’t reveal any major plans of replacing the core business model of WhatsApp. Actually, the deal was made specifically because WhatsApp followed some high quality standards that Facebook never wants to let go of. But in the long-run, necessity might force things to change. WhatsApp is currently hurting carriers financially (considerably so), and will continue to grow in this regard. Many carriers might turn to included SMS services instead of leaving these as optional choices, rending WhatsApp useless. How will Facebook compensate is hard to predict. Perhaps you’ll have to pay a modest sum to download the application, instead of paying a subscription. The introduction of ads into WhatsApp is unlikely. For now, make sure you download WhatsApp while it’s free (if you haven’t already). Try it out, see the benefits, and profit from what it offers before things change.