What is WeChat?
This is what I know about WeChat:
It’s a Chinese messaging app developed in January 2011 initially as a text, voice, photo-sharing app that has expanded to provide functions so that you can check into flights, order cabs, pay bills, play games, sell products, share locations and more – and you can get things done within seconds because you can do multiple things at once. It has around 700 million active users. And in China, everyone is on WeChat. Apparently, nothing in the US comes close.
Yes, it is a messaging app, but it’s also a platform to a number of other applications that have nothing to do with messaging. You could call it “an app within an app”.
Anyway, I created an account the other day - which is free and really simple to set up, and I even found some friends that were using the app.
When I learn a little more about this app I’ll post more information here.
Recent Comments
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I presume you know a bit about it. Just provided the site for reference. http://www.wechat.com/en/
I have a small amount of knowledge about this app, but I have talked to friends in China that use it and they've found it to be an amazing app.
Very interesting. Personally I would not trust the security in the Chinese app, and I do agree with chunyen. Looking forward to your review.
Cheers peter
Yup. It is a very famous app in China nowadays. Wechat can call taxi as well and pay bill without leaving this apps. But in fact, the security is a significant issue. China government once request for the information of millions from wechat. That's mean everything you do, you buy, where are you going, time you spent at certain place had been tracked.
But then it still a very useful app which helped a lot ppl get out of many unnecessary stuff in life =D
Yes I use this in China and it works in other countries as well and it's very popular in China almost everyone communicates this way (it's censored and monitored of course - being Chinese) But it's a great way to converse for free. :)
That's a very good start up entry to explore.
I did have a quick look a Weidan, but seems it requires one to have China mobile number right?
Will look into more of that too.
Will you be able to see if there's any other third party platform which overseas people can leverage on and do advertising through them into wechat. It will be great.
Will be good if we can research for creating a shop or app to advertise in wechat for people outside china
The problem is how can we leverage on wechat to advertise our products there; hearsay that advertising your products on wechat is very expensive; any idea?
I haven't looked into that part of the application, I know there are different criteria for creating a shop with the app - one for registered businesses in China and one for those outside of China.
I also know that you can sell products via a Third Party Platform, and apparently Weidian is the biggest. But I have no idea of the cost.
When I learn more, I'll post it here.
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Hi Gayene, I wonder if the app is being monitored by the government of China? irv.
I'm sure it is, but then other apps are monitored as well - perhaps not so much by Governments, although Countries that are part of the GCSB are spying on their own citizens, other Countries and each other - crazy stuff!