WeChat is one amongst many chat apps available in the online market. Yet, the growing popularity of WeChat from Tencent Inc. has been stunning. Having been launched in 2011, WeChat’s user rate gradually peaked up from 4-5 million users in May 2011 to 300 million users in January 2013. With the polls still on a drastic rise worldwide, taking a peek into WeChat’s market status could rationalize the situation.
Today, WeChat stands first in mobile phone text and voice messaging communication application in the world. It holds 400 Million users and more than 100 million registered international users and is a heavy competitor to Whatsapp. All around the world, it has gained popularity with much to credit its feature and easy usability.
Apart from benefits such as mobile battery life conservation, real time and brand familiarity, WeChat is a delightful mobile interface. It enables text messages, audio and video chat, photo, video, files and location sharing. To add to the WeChat’s efficiency, backup and security system are by far the best. The status updating facility of WeChat makes it almost an informal Facebook on the go which gravitate more and more users every day.
The Global Web Index states that WeChat is the fifth most used Smartphone app worldwide. In China, WeChat is almost a necessity for youths. It enhances social ties with familiar and unfamiliar people. Its most enjoyable features are ‘Look around’ which scans for friends in proximity, ‘Shake’ is a roulette style of engaging with random strangers, and ‘Drift Bottle’ used to send messages into the crowd of WeChat users. Moreover, WeChat houses made-easy group chats and variety of ‘emoticons’ all that free of charge.
WeChat’s origin is assumed to have made Whatsapp the simplest of Chat apps. Compared to other apps like Viber or Skype, WeChat is more advanced in using Q.R codes and WeChat Id for friend verification, block list and other tasks. Also, its global marketing with celebrity brand ambassadors is stimulating the app’s visibility. An app designed perfectly for people who want to make new friends for business or fun, WeChat is bound to expand on its popularity.