WhatsApp Denies Report of Talks Regarding Acquisition by Google - MacRumors
Skip to Content

WhatsApp Denies Report of Talks Regarding Acquisition by Google

by

WhatsApp business development head Neeraj Arora has told AllThingsD that an earlier report claiming Google was on the verge of acquiring the company for $1 billion is not true. WhatsApp is the company behind the popular iOS app WhatsApp Messenger.

Neeraj Arora, WhatsApp’s business development head, told AllThingsDigital today that the company is not holding sales talks with Google.

Arora declined to comment further, but AllThingsD does note that WhatsApp has been the subject of sales rumors before, having been linked to Facebook in December. At the time, WhatsApp said that those reports were "not factually accurate."

whatsapp
WhatsApp Messenger has consistently been one of the top paid apps in the App Store in many countries around the world and is currently the #1 paid app in the U.S. store. It is one of the many messaging services, including Apple's own iMessage, available on iOS and other platforms that smartphone users have turned to in order to avoid carriers' SMS charges.

Recently, WhatsApp announced that it will be moving to a subscription model for the iOS version of its app by the end of this year. The model would likely be similar to existing WhatsApp pricing for other platforms, which would make the app free for the first year and then $0.99 per year beyond the initial free period.

Popular Stories

Apple Event Logo

Apple's Next Era Begins September 1

Thursday May 7, 2026 10:36 am PDT by
Apple recently announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down as CEO later this year, after 15 years of leading the company. Effective September 1, Apple's hardware engineering chief John Ternus will become the company's next CEO, while Cook will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors. In his new role, Apple said Cook will assist with "certain aspects" of the company,...
Read Full Article
Four iPhone 18 Pro Colors Mock Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in September With These 10 New Features

Saturday May 9, 2026 6:03 am PDT by
While the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are not launching until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. It was initially reported that the iPhone 18 Pro models would have fully under-screen Face ID, with only a front camera visible in the top-left corner of the screen. However, the latest rumors indicate that only one Face ID component will be moved under the...
Read Full Article
Apple Watch Series 10 Jet Black Touch ID

Apple Watch Series 12 and watchOS 27: What to Expect Later This Year

Friday May 8, 2026 2:07 pm PDT by
While not too much has been reported about the next Apple Watch models, there are a few rumors about potential design changes and watchOS 27 features. Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 models are expected to be released in September, and we have outlined some of the key rumored hardware and software changes below. A new Apple Watch SE is not expected this year, as that model was...
Read Full Article • 59 comments

Top Rated Comments

BvizioN Avatar
BvizioN
171 months ago
I'd rather pay $0.99 without Google adds.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
roxxette Avatar
roxxette
171 months ago
if there was a way to link whatsapp to my cellphone number...that would sell me on the app. so far, i don't even use it.....why use it when you have iMessage?
But whatsapp links to your phone number :confused: ; why use it ? the major selling point is cross-plataform.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A
anotherarunan
171 months ago
The ignorance of so many Americans on the forum is astounding.

For whatever reason - Whatsapp isnt popular in the US - but almost everywhere else across the WORLD especially in more developing nations - Whatsapp is almost on every single smartphone and is a primary method of digital communication.

It is a fantastic app and can only get better hopefully. It does what it needs to do and does it very well. If it aint broke...
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
henry72 Avatar
henry72
171 months ago
There are SO MANY other great alternatives such as Facebook Messenger, Viber etc...

Of course, iMessage would be the best option for most of us ;)

So goodbye Whatsapp :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
adder7712 Avatar
adder7712
171 months ago
if there was a way to link whatsapp to my cellphone number...that would sell me on the app. so far, i don't even use it.....why use it when you have iMessage?

But I thought your phone number is your WhatsApp account. :confused:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ijohn.8.80 Avatar
ijohn.8.80
171 months ago
How would it be if from way out of left field they got bought out by Apple?! Bam! Turn it into iMessage for all platforms. Market cornered. :cool:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments