What is WeChat？

WeChat is the most popular social platform in China. You can say that almost everyone is using WeChat in China as long as they have a smartphone and know how to use phone. They use WeChat for working, chatting, reading, paying the bill, calling a taxi, ordering takeout, even more. WeChat is their life in China. Once you use WeChat, you will love it.

What is WeChat?

WeChat is a free application program launched by Tencent company on January 21, 2011, to provide instant messaging services. It offers users to make a video call, voice call, sending images, videos emojis, stickers, files, etc. And you can take notes, set reminder just like Goole keep notes.

What’s more, you can use WeChat Pay to purchase almost everything, like order takeout, call a taxi, buy a high train ticket, etc. WeChat covered almost everything in China. WeChat Pay and Alipay cause Chinese don’t use cash anymore. What they want to buy or sell all not use cash but use WeChat Pay or Alipay.

Let me show you some basic analytics data according to the WeChat official report.

By the second quarter of 2016, WeChat has covered more than 94% of smartphones in China, with 806 million monthly active users. The users have covered more than 200 countries and more than 20 languages. In addition, the total number of WeChat public accounts of each brand has exceeded 8 million, the advertising revenue has increased to 3.679 billion yuan, and WeChat payment users have reached about 400 million.

By the end of 2018, the number of monthly active users of WeChat is around 1.08 billion. And there’re 45 billion messages, 410 million audio and video calls are transmitted on WeChat every day.

What is the difference between WeChat, Facebook and WhatsApp?

WeChat is not only an instant message media platform but also a social media platform. It combines Facebook and WhatsApp but more easy to use.

Don’t you think Facebook and WhatsApp are more like an advertising platform? Alway shows you some Ads there. But WeChat doesn’t show you so many Ads. And you can choose what you want to see by subscribing WeChat official accounts to get news or any other topic information.

Besides, Facebook and WhatsApp are more like a kind of acquaintance social media platform, you can only add friends who you know or you might know. But WeChat allows you to add friends in a random way. You can add friends via Shak, People Nearby (drift bottle is not available since 2019, the reason is there’re so many gambles, porn, fraud).

In my opinion, making friends in a random way is a very good way to make more friends. That’s one of the advantages of WeChat.

Moreover, Facebook is trying to copy WeChat’s payment feature to replicating WeChat’s success. China’s e-payment is far more ahead of most of the counties in the world. No countries are able to compete with.

As I said, the Chinese will not take cash anymore. What they need to take is just a mobile phone. Maybe you will say, you don’t use cash too, because you can pay by credit card or NFC. That’s why I say many countries are far more behind China in Electronic Payment.

Basically, the features that Facebook and WhatsApp have, WeChat have, but the features WeChat have, they don’t.

Why do I need to use WeChat?

The answer is you don’t need to. Maybe you would say that I got Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, etc. Why do I need to use WeChat? Sure, you can use those social media platforms.

There’s one thing you need to know Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram almost all social media platforms even Google that you’re using is not allowed to use in China. Which means they’re not able to access to the social media platforms that you’re using now, because of the great wall of China.

So, let me ask you some questions. As you all know, China is a big country but some of you might not know that China is beautiful and there’re so many delicious food. If you’re planning to have a trip to China, Or work or study in China. How can you contact your friends or family when you’re in China?

If you’re doing business with Chinese, More than 50% of the products in the world are made in China. You definitely want to contact your Chinese manufacturers. But how? Or you want to target China market, how could you make it without the basic social tool?

If want to know more about Chinese cultures and make friends with Chinese or you want to date with a Chinese girl. How can you contact them?

Apparently, you need a Chinese social media platform. That’s why I will strongly recommend you to create a WeChat account. So that it will be easier to contact someone in China.

Actually, there’re only two instant messages social media platform in China. One is WeChat, the other one is QQ. They’re all belong to the same company.

And you might not know that young people(younger than 16), however, older people are more likely to use WeChat, not QQ. and older people all have QQ. Just don’t use QQ too much.

How do I create WeChat account?

WeChat account is not easy to get. Most people need to ask a WeChat user to verify you when you register WeChat account. However, some people don’t. It all depends on the WeChat systems. So, before you get started, I recommend you to find some WeChat users or make some Chinese friends. Because most Chinese have WeChat account, they can verify you easily.

Also, WeChat can be blocked easily. So if you don’t want to struggle with the problem that WeChat account block issues. Please find some WeChat users.

If you failed to get WeChat account, you can sign up QQ account. As I said, WeChat and QQ are the only instant messages tool in China. So,

If your account has been blocked, do not create a new one immediately. Or your new account could be blocked for unnormal registration. You should send feedback to WeChat support team first and wait for a couple of weeks. I’m sure that you will get some WeChat account issues one day if you don’t follow the rules. So please check my other posts about WeChat account issues.

If you have any questions, you can add me on Facebook.