WhatsApp Messenger

Communication

8.4~~/10~~

Our score

★ 4.6 Google Play·10B+ installs

Reviewed by Editorial Team, ScoredApps editorial · updated 2026-09-05

Screenshots

Chat list with All, Unread and Groups filters above pinned conversations

Chat showing the end-to-end encryption notice, a voice note and live location

Group video call grid labelled end-to-end encrypted with call controls below

Friends Group thread with a shared map pin for Lake Park and a sticker reply

Status view from a contact with stickers and a Pebble Beach location tag

About WhatsApp Messenger

WhatsApp is the default messenger across most of the world, with ten billion installs recorded on Google Play and end-to-end encryption switched on for every personal chat, call and status without asking. Since June 2025 it also carries advertising, confined to the Updates tab where Status and Channels live. The chat list itself stayed clean, and the messenger remains free with no subscription for personal use.

App information

DeveloperWhatsApp Inc.

Version2.26.36.74 (Android) · 26.34.74 (iOS)

Size11.4 MB (Android) · 397 MB (iOS)

Price / In-appFree

Contains adsNo

In-app purchasesYes

Content rating13+

Requires (Android)Android 3.0+

Requires (iOS)iOS 15.1+

Offline modeReading old chats works offline; sending and receiving need a connection

Interface languagesAR, BN, CA, HR, CS, DA + 33 more

Store rating (Google Play)4.6 from 244,966,308 ratings

Installs10B+

Updated by developer2026-09-04

Data checked2026-09-07

Specs come from the official store listings and were last checked on 2026-09-07. Developers change pricing and requirements — check the store page before installing.

WhatsApp Review: Where the Ads Actually Sit

Ads Live in Updates, Never in Chats

Three things arrived together in June 2025: promoted channels in the directory, channel subscriptions that charge a monthly fee for extra posts, and ads inside Status. All of them stay in the Updates tab. The targeting behind them uses a deliberately short list — country or city, language, which channels you follow and how you react to ads — extended with advertising preferences if the account is linked in Meta's Accounts Center. The company states it never sells or shares phone numbers with advertisers, and that personal messages, calls and the groups you belong to are not used to choose ads.

2 GB Files and 1,024-Member Groups

The practical limits are generous. A single send carries up to 2 GB, enough for a video that would bounce off email, and a group holds up to 1,024 members. Communities gather several groups under one umbrella with announcements to everyone at once. Alongside that sit live location sharing with a visible expiry, an HD option for photos so they arrive at something better than messenger quality, and voice notes that record while the button is held. Video calls run encrypted too, with the label shown on the call screen.

Backups Are Not Encrypted Until You Turn It On

Here is the gap most people miss. Messages are protected in transit, but the copy saved to Google Drive or iCloud sits outside that protection unless end-to-end encrypted backup is switched on, secured by a password or a 64-digit key. Turn it on and neither the company nor the cloud provider can read the archive — and neither can help if the key is lost. Google Play's data safety card lists seven collected categories, and an account still needs a working phone number, which remains the identity behind every chat.

Pros

Encryption is on by default for chats, calls and statuses
Ads stay in the Updates tab, away from conversations
Files up to 2 GB and groups up to 1,024 members
No subscription: personal messaging costs nothing at all
Encrypted backups available behind a password or 64-digit key

Cons

Cloud backups stay unencrypted until you switch the option on
Ad targeting reads your city, language and followed channels
An account still requires a working phone number
Channel subscriptions introduce monthly fees inside a free messenger

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Verdict

For most people this is still the right default: encryption on without configuration, transfers up to 2 GB, group calls that work on poor connections, and no bill. Two things deserve five minutes on the day you install it — turn on encrypted backup, and check what the Updates tab is now showing you. Choose Signal instead if you want a messenger with no advertising business attached to it at all.

Core function9.0Messages, calls and media transfer work on weak connections where rivals stall or compress.

Ease of use9.0Five tabs, no learning curve; the chat list is the same screen it was a decade ago.

Monetisation8.0Personal use stays free; ads and paid channel subscriptions are limited to the Updates tab.

Performance8.5A 397 MB install handles 2 GB transfers and encrypted group video calls without extra tools.

Privacy & permissions7.0Default encryption is real, but backups are exposed by default and targeting uses account signals.

8.4out of 10 · weighted average of the five scores above

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Frequently asked questions

Is WhatsApp free?

Yes, and there is no paid tier for personal use. Messages, calls and file transfers cost only mobile data. Advertising appears in the Updates tab rather than in chats, and the only charges anywhere in the app are subscriptions that individual channel owners set for their own extra posts.

What are Channels and Communities?

Channels are one-way broadcasts you follow, kept in the Updates tab so they never mix with chats. Communities work the other way: they gather related groups — a school, a club — under one roof, with announcements that reach every member at once while each group keeps its own conversation.

What can you actually pay for?

Only two things. Channel owners can charge a monthly subscription for exclusive posts, and businesses pay to advertise or to message customers. Nothing in personal messaging sits behind a paywall: encryption, group calls, 2 GB transfers and backups are all part of the free app.

Do you lose your chats if you delete the app?

Not if a backup exists. Reinstalling and signing in with the same number restores from the copy held in Google Drive or iCloud. Two cautions: that copy is unencrypted unless you enabled encrypted backup, and if you did enable it, restoring requires the password or 64-digit key with no recovery route.

What are the alternatives?

Signal runs the same encryption protocol with no advertising and no parent company selling ads, at the cost of a much smaller contact list. Telegram is better for large public channels but does not encrypt ordinary chats by default. The choice usually comes down to which app the people you message already have.