Google Is Negotiating Acquisition of WhatsApp For $1 Billion?

According to a report from Digital Trends, Google is close to buying WhatsApp, the company behind the popular messaging service WhatsApp Messenger, for around $1 billion.

Currently WhatsApp Messenger is a $0.99 app in the App Store, but WhatsApp has announced that it will move to a subscription model this year under which the service would likely be free of charge for the first year and cost $0.99/year thereafter. The company already uses the subscription model for its Windows Phone and Android apps.

The app consistently ranks near or at the top of iTunes charts for Top Paid apps in different countries around the world, and currently holds the first position in the U.S. App Store.

Such cross-platform messaging services as WhatsApp Messenger have become more and more popular as users seek to avoid SMS charges imposed by mobile carriers and expand their conversations to devices that are not directly connected to cellular service.