Google Tipped To Pick Up WhatsApp For $1 Billion

It's just a billion bucks, why not purchase one of the quickest growing multi-platform message ecosystems in the mobile universe: WhatsApp? That's what Google has been rumored to be chatting about this week, as an inside source speaking with Digital Trends tells it. This is a story that feeds quite well into the idea that Google is creating their own every-device messaging app system the likes of which would transform their multi-tiered systems into a singular hero.

Both Facebook and Google have been tipped to have approached the folks behind WhatsApp before today, and as they've continued to explode in popularity over the past few months, it would appear that they may have reached prime-time for sales. Included in this purchase would be their next-level pricing scheme which has users paying a cool $0.99 a year for a complete tossing of advertisements in-app. If Google were to pick the team up, it could be that WhatsApp itself is kicked in the pants while the technology is folded into Google – no more dollars for you!

Also if this does turn out to be true, Google's next-generation service might be ready for Google I/O 2013. That is the rumored "Babble" or "Babel." One way or another, a Google message service that folds all others into itself will be big.

So right here at the dawn of the Facebook Phone and the next wave of Android devices and their messager apps, could it be time for Google to take another swipe? Seems so! Have a peek at the WhatsApp timeline below and get pumped up about the future of the Google-run app universe!