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Sundar Pichai, speaking at a Google event in 2013 AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

Turns out Google didn't bid for WhatsApp after all

The company’s senior vice president, Sundar Pichai, said that reports of it bidding $10 billion for the service were “simply untrue.”

GOOGLE HAS DENIED it made an offer for the messaging service WhatsApp.

The company’s senior vice president, Sundar Pichai, said that the rumours of it bidding $10 billion for the service were “simply untrue.”

Speaking at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Pichai said that the company had talked to them in the past about working together, saying WhatsApp was “definitely an exciting product,” and praised its achievements.

However, The Telegraph reports he denied making a bid for them saying: “We never made an offer to acquire them. Press reports to the contrary are simply untrue.”

Rumours of Google buying WhatsApp had been circulating for a while. In 2013, it was reported that Google had had a $1 billion bid rebuffed by the company. Facebook was also rumoured to have made an approach the company back in December 2012, but WhatsApp denied both reports.

Also, when Facebook had its $3 billion bid rejected by Snapchat, Google was rumoured to have bid $4 billion for it, which was also rejected.

Earlier this week at the Mobile World Congress, Mark Zuckerberg said WhatsApp was worth “more than $19 billion” and aims to use the service to connect to a billion people.

He was also asked by a member of the audience whether he was thinking of making another bid for Snapchat saying: “After buying a company for $16 billion, you’re probably done for a while.”

Read: The knock-on effect: WhatsApp rival adds 8m users in 4 days >

Read: LINE adds 2 million new users after WhatsApp outage, and rubs it in >

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    Mute Dermot O Dwyer
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    Feb 26th 2014, 7:43 PM

    Read this earlier on whogivesaf%&k.com .

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    Mute Marc
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    Feb 26th 2014, 7:43 PM

    Google should buy Telegram. I like Whatsapp but not a fan of facebook. Telegram has a very similar setup to Whatsapp.

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    Mute Alan Lawlor
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    Feb 26th 2014, 8:26 PM

    But how many users of Telegraph. Its not about buying the technology (thats relatively easy to copy and could be done for less than 100grand) its about the users you pick up.
    Facebook are concerned that their regular user base average age is rapidly rising with younger users dropping out. This purchase taps in to a younger market again and cross-fertilisation is now the key

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    Mute Gowanoutathat
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    Feb 26th 2014, 7:43 PM

    And this is news because ?

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    Mute The Hooded Biscuit
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    Feb 26th 2014, 7:48 PM

    Smart move

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    Mute joe power
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    Feb 26th 2014, 8:44 PM

    Watsapp is only for iphone losers google already hav drop box and chat on which are 100 times better

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    Mute Kieran O'dwyer
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    Feb 26th 2014, 9:33 PM

    @joe. I suspect you are trolling but for the benefit of others.

    Google do not own dropbox. Its venture capital funded.

    Google don’t own chaton either. Its a Samsung product. Its crap in any case… full of spam. I have it on my Samsung phone and can’t delete the darn thing.

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    Mute Niall O Connor
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    Feb 27th 2014, 12:37 AM

    I’m not really sure about whats app because i don’t have it… but from what i read its an instant messaging service… google have hangouts and facebokk has facebook messenger… so why would either want whats app??… only reason users…

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    Mute Symbolism
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    Feb 26th 2014, 7:44 PM

    Bad losers ?

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    Mute Brendan Harlowe
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    Feb 27th 2014, 9:38 AM

    I don’t understand all this fuss. Is it not basically free texting?

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    Mute Energy Elephant
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    Feb 27th 2014, 10:30 AM

    But Apple may bid on Tesla…
    Explains massive price on value of company.

    You heard it hear first, and Elon Musk to be next Apple CEO!

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    Mute The Knight
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    Feb 27th 2014, 11:35 AM

    Google have the resources to blow WhatsApp out of the water at will.

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