What WeChat Offers to Users

WeChat is a versatile social media platform that offers a wide range of features to its users. With over 1 billion monthly active users, it's no wonder why WeChat has become an essential tool for communication and entertainment.

WeChat's messaging feature allows users to send text, voice, and video messages, as well as make voice and video calls. Users can also share photos, videos, and files with friends and family.

One of the unique features of WeChat is its mini-program functionality, which enables users to access various third-party services and games within the app. This feature has made WeChat a popular platform for e-commerce and online shopping.

WeChat's payment system, WeChat Pay, allows users to make transactions and payments with ease, reducing the need for cash and credit cards.

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WeChat was launched in January 2011 by Tencent in China. It started as a project at Tencent Guangzhou Research and Project center in October 2010.

The original version of the app was created by Allen Zhang and was initially named "Weixin" by Pony Ma. It wasn't until 2012 that it was re-branded "WeChat" for the international market.

By 2012, WeChat had reached 100 million registered users. This was a significant milestone for the app.

WeChat's growth was slow at first, but it surged after the release of the Walkie-talkie-like voice messaging feature in May 2011. This feature helped the app gain more users.

By 2013, WeChat had enabled payments and commerce, which saw massive adoption after their virtual Red envelope promotion for Chinese New Year 2014. This was a game-changer for the app.

WeChat's user base continued to grow, reaching 889 million monthly active users by 2016. It then rose to an estimated one billion monthly active users by 2019.

As of January 2022, WeChat had more than 1.2 billion users. This is a staggering number, especially considering the app's humble beginnings.

WeChat's expansion outside of China began in 2013 with the release of the international version of the app. This allowed the app to reach a wider audience.

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The app's popularity continued to grow, with daily active users exceeding 700 million in 2016. This number continued to rise, exceeding one billion daily active users in 2020.

WeChat has been adding new features and enhancements over the years, including the ability to perform financial transactions and make online purchases. It has also included mini-programs, which allow users to access apps within the same app.

As of 2023, WeChat had reached 1.3 billion monthly active users. This is a testament to the app's enduring popularity.

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WeChat is a powerhouse of features and functionality, making it an essential tool for anyone in China. With WeChat, you can send text, voice, and video messages to friends and family around the world for free.

One of the most convenient features is mobile payment, which allows users to conduct financial transactions, including online and offline payments, money transfers, and more, all through WeChat Pay. WeChat Pay is integrated directly into the app.

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WeChat also offers a wide range of booking services, such as train or plane travel, hotel booking, restaurant booking, and more, all available directly from the platform. This makes it easy to plan and book travel and activities on the go.

You can also use WeChat for online shopping, purchasing products directly in the app and paying with WeChat Pay. This makes it easy to shop and pay for goods and services without leaving the app.

WeChat's mini program feature allows businesses and developers to create lightweight apps that can be used without installing a separate app. These mini programs can perform a wide range of functions, such as food ordering and travel reservations.

Here are some of the key features of WeChat's mobile payment service:

Moments is WeChat's social feed where you can share updates with friends. It's like a private social network where you can post images, text, and short videos.

Users can share articles and music on Moments, and friends can like and comment on the content. In 2017, WeChat had a policy of limiting users to two advertisements per day.

Only friends in your contact list can view your Moments' contents and comments. You can group your friends and decide who sees what, keeping your posts private.

WeChat allows you to set some posts as "Private", making them visible only to you. This is different from public platforms like Weibo or Instagram, where posts can go viral.

You can also top your posts in Moments with a special foundation, making them easily accessible. This feature is great for marking important posts that you want to keep track of.

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WeChat Channels are a short video platform within WeChat that allows users to create and share short video clips and photos.

Users can discover content posted to other Channels by others via the in-built feed.

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Each post can include hashtags, a location tag, a short description, and a link to a WeChat official account article.

WeChat Channels allow users to upload hour-long videos, twice the duration limit previously imposed.

By June 2021, WeChat Channels had accumulated over 200 million users.

The platform has 500 million DAU (Daily Active Users), growing at 79% year-on-year.

More than 27 million people used WeChat Channels to watch an online concert in 2021.

15 million users also viewed the Shenzhou 12 spaceflight launch using the app service.

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WeChat has revolutionized the way businesses operate and market themselves in China. Over 100 million WeChat Official Accounts were on the platform by 2015, with many companies using it to launch advertisements and provide services.

WeChat's B2C mode is the main profit mode of WeChat Business, with companies like Burberry and Michael Kors using it to give live streams from their runway shows. Brands like L'Oréal China have also partnered with popular influencers like Papi Jiang to promote their products.

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To succeed on WeChat, businesses need to create engaging content, such as interactive posts and videos, to resonate with their audience. They can also use WeChat Pay integration to facilitate transactions directly through the app, and offer exclusive promotions and discounts to incentivize purchases.

Here are some key marketing strategies that businesses can use on WeChat:

The B2C Mode is a key profit driver for WeChat Business. It involves launching advertisements and providing services through the WeChat Official Account, which can access online payment, location sharing, voice messages, and mini-games.

Over 100 million WeChat Official Accounts existed on the platform by 2015, making it a popular choice for businesses. Many companies, including hospitals, banks, fashion brands, and internet companies, have used this mode to reach their target audience.

WeChat Official Accounts can be managed by hiring specific staff, which is a key consideration for businesses looking to leverage this mode. This approach allows companies to maintain a customer relationship and build brand awareness.

By using the B2C Mode, businesses can tap into WeChat's vast user base and increase their online presence. With over 800 million active WeChat mobile payment users, the potential for reaching customers is vast.

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WeChat has become an essential tool for businesses to connect with customers and manage their operations. WeChat Business is one of the latest mobile social network business models, utilizing business relationships and friendships to maintain a customer relationship.

Companies can create a special version of WeChat called WeCom, launched in 2016, to help employees separate work from private life. This version includes features such as tracking annual leave days and expenses, and employees can ask for time off or clock in to show they were at work.

WeChat offers various features for businesses, including Official WeChat accounts, which allow companies to interact directly with users. There are two types of accounts: service accounts, which offer advanced features, and subscription accounts, which allow brands to send content on a regular basis.

Businesses can also use WeChat to facilitate transactions directly through the app with WeChat Pay integration. Brands can set up online stores within WeChat, allowing users to purchase products without leaving the platform.

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Here are some key features of WeChat for businesses:

WeChat's security and censorship policies have been a subject of controversy in recent years. Weixin, the Chinese version of WeChat, has been censoring messages concerning the COVID-19 pandemic since 2020.

Weixin has also been known to censor global issues, including the 2019 Hong Kong local elections, where it disabled the accounts of posters in other countries such as the U.S. and Canada.

The company's censorship policies are not limited to China, as it has also blocked posts from international leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in 2020. Morrison's post was blocked for "violated regulations, including distorting historical events and confusing the public."

WeChat uses two different censorship systems, one for mainland China and another for the rest of the world. This is due to its servers being located in China, which are subject to the country's censorship rules.

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WeChat's Guardian Mode is a safety feature designed to protect users under 14 years old.

It limits access to certain features, including "people nearby", "games", and "search".

The channels function, a video mini program, only shows contents suitable for adolescents.

Users with Guardian Mode enabled can only add friends through QR codes and group chats.

They can also only view 10 latest Moments posts, and not those of non-friend users under the privacy setting of Guardian Mode.

This mode restricts the user experience to create a more secure environment for minors.

The Guardian Mode was introduced to promote safety and provide a secure environment for WeChat users.

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WeChat's censorship practices have been a topic of concern for many users. In 2020, Weixin started censoring messages concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.

WeChat's censorship extends beyond China's borders. Starting in 2013, reports arose that Chinese-language searches even outside China were being keyword filtered and then blocked. This occurred on incoming traffic to China from foreign countries but also exclusively between foreign parties.

WeChat eventually built two different platforms to avoid this problem; one for the Chinese mainland (Weixin) and one for the rest of the world (WeChat). The problem existed because WeChat's servers were all located in China and thus subjected to its censorship rules.

Here are some key differences between Weixin and WeChat's censorship policies:

Weixin censored messages related to the 2019 Hong Kong local elections and disabled the accounts of posters in other countries. Many of those targeted were of Chinese ancestry.

WeChat's censorship policies also extend to blocking accounts associated with sensitive topics. In 2021, several Weixin accounts associated with China's university campuses LGBTQ movement were blocked and then deleted without warning.

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Creating a WeChat account is a breeze. You can register in just a few seconds using your phone number or a Facebook account.

To get started, you'll need to verify your identity, which is a simple step that will only take a couple of minutes. You can then customize your profile by adding a photo and additional information such as your name, region, or address.

You can even customize how your user QR code looks, making it your own unique identifier.

WeChat offers a variety of instant messaging features, including text messages, voice messages, walkie talkie, and stickers. These features allow users to communicate with friends and family in a quick and effective way.

With WeChat, you can send previously saved or live pictures and videos, profiles of other users, coupons, lucky money packages, or current GPS locations with friends either individually or in a group chat.

WeChat also provides a message recall feature to allow users to recall and withdraw information (e.g. images, documents) that are sent within 2 minutes in a conversation. This feature is super helpful when you accidentally send something you didn't mean to.

To send a message on WeChat, tap the Contacts tab at the bottom of your screen, tap a friend's name, and then tap Messages to open a chat. Type a message in the message field, and then tap Send.

You can also add an emoticon to a message by typing your message and then tapping the smiley face button to open a panel of emoticons and stickers. Tap an emoticon to choose it.

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To send a photo or video, tap +, and then tap Images to send an image. If you've given WeChat access to your camera roll, you'll see your photos and videos. Tap a photo to add it to your message.

Making a voice or video call is also easy. Tap +, and then tap Voice Call or Video Call to connect with friends and family.

Here are the basic steps to send a message, add an emoticon, send a photo or video, and make a voice or video call on WeChat: