Facebook Messenger just reached one billion monthly active users (MAU). The milestone puts Messenger on equal footing with WhatsApp, the instant messaging service that Facebook acquired at a cost of $19 billion in 2014. Since January this year, Facebook Messenger has seen rapid growth, adding 100 million MAU every quarter.
Facebook Messenger was spun off from the main Facebook platform as a stand-alone messaging app several years ago, amid growing competition from chat-based apps like Telegram and Snapchat. Many users expressed annoyance at the time because the move forced them to download the app instead of allowing them to message directly within Facebook. But it turned out to be a strategic move, because developers used the new stand-alone service as a platform for new, exclusive features such as customer service chatbots that eventually benefitted users.