What Is the WhatsApp Logo?
The WhatsApp logo is a white telephone handset inside a speech bubble, shown on green and often paired with the name WhatsApp. Meta's own brand guidelines refer to it as the WhatsApp telephone logo. WhatsApp is a messaging and calling app founded in 2009 by Jan Koum and Brian Acton, based in Mountain View, California, and owned by Meta since Facebook bought it in 2014.
The glyph comes in several colourways, such as the WhatsApp white logo, and the glyph in black is available as the WhatsApp logo SVG.
WhatsApp Logo Facts
| Symbol | A telephone handset inside a speech bubble |
| Logo type | Pictorial mark: the glyph, also used beside the WhatsApp wordmark |
| Owner | Meta |
What the WhatsApp Logo Means
The name came first. Koum picked WhatsApp in early 2009 because it sounded like "what's up", the casual greeting.
The green matters as much as the shape. When WhatsApp redesigned its apps in 2024, its design team tried more than 35 colour options for the interface before settling on a palette built around the green of the logo.
WhatsApp Logo History
Koum incorporated WhatsApp Inc. in California on 24 February 2009, his 33rd birthday, shortly after he had chosen the name.
On 19 February 2014 Facebook announced it would acquire WhatsApp, with the app's headquarters staying in Mountain View.
On 18 January 2018 WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Business, a separate app for small companies. Its icon keeps the speech bubble but replaces the handset with the letter B.
In August 2019 Facebook confirmed plans to label the app "WhatsApp from Facebook" inside the app and in the app stores, while the name under the home-screen icon stayed WhatsApp.
On 28 October 2021 Facebook's parent company took the name Meta, bringing its apps together under one company brand, while the app kept the WhatsApp name.
In May 2024 WhatsApp rolled out a redesign on Android and iOS with a single green palette across both platforms, chosen to line up with the logo's green.
WhatsApp and Its Meta Siblings
WhatsApp sits in the same family as Instagram and Messenger, and the 2019 "from Facebook" label was applied to both WhatsApp and Instagram at the same time. On the home screen each app kept its own name. For more apps like WhatsApp, browse our social media logos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the symbol in the WhatsApp logo?
A white telephone handset inside a speech bubble, set on green.
Where does the name WhatsApp come from?
Jan Koum chose it in 2009 because it sounded like "what's up".
Who owns WhatsApp?
Meta, the company formerly called Facebook, which announced its purchase of WhatsApp on 19 February 2014.
How is the WhatsApp Business logo different?
The WhatsApp Business icon swaps the telephone handset for the letter B inside the speech bubble.