Today, we often hear people say that in China you don’t need any other app than WeChat and that you will be able to do all in one! Exciting, so if we have a single app literally doing everything for us, why don’t we have it? What is exactly interesting with WeChat? And why should you use WeChat App in China? Well, don’t worry since all is covered for you here.
WeChat Is an All-In-One App
At a glance, WeChat App is a messaging application enabling you to communicate with friends, family, and other people using text, voice, video, and image. But in China, it is more than that, it enables you to do many things once.
You can order cabs, book airline tickets, purchase products, and pay bills. When you enter China, you will enjoy city services provided by WeChat App such as booking transportation, paying traffic fines or electricity fees, and booking doctor appointments.
Easy to Use and Popular in China
Besides its remarkable features, WeChat is quite simple to use. It is the most popular app in China after the government censored social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You don’t need a VPN to access WeChat unlike in other social media apps. For that reason, WeChat App is all you want in order to stay in contact with other people in China and the rest of the world.
Tencent, the company that owns WeChat, added national ID and other authentication features to conform to government’s regulation. Because WeChat requires users to register using their real credentials as they appear in national ID, it is not a surprise to imagine that China’s government will soon use WeChat as its electronic ID system. Hence, you need to have WeChat in your phone. For all purposes in China, your phone and WeChat is everything!
How to download and use WeChat App
You can download WeChat for Android, iPad, and iPhone along with full guide and tips on how to download.
- You will go to the apps store and search for WeChat in the search bar. Once you get the app, tap the download/install button where it might ask for your App Store password.
- After downloading the app, you will see the ‘sign up’ button when you open. Here, you will enter the mobile number you are using.
- Then, you will receive a verification code that you will use for verification.
- You will then put your full names and WeChat ID/username. Consider good usernames that can show other people what you like or who you are.
- From there, you will be ready to start enjoying WeChat. On iPad and Android, you will follow the same instructions by searching the app in the ‘iPad only’ section and Google play store respectively. You can click to this link to download WeChat: https://www.wechat.com/en/
What’s the Difference between WeChat and WhatsApp?
When this question comes across your mind, it is like you are told to compare coffee and tea; they are good in their own way. WeChat and Whatsapp are different applications on the same branch of social media. Undoubtedly, the ultimate goal for the two apps is to connect people with their social circle: mostly family and friends.
- WhatsApp Connects You with People while WeChat Connects You with Everything
While WhatsApp and WeChat are similar in terms of messaging and video calling, everything else between the two is totally different. Among the things that you can only do with WeChat include booking tax, unlocking a bike for share, playing games, ordering food items, video editing, reading news, ordering laundry, paying for products and services, and other items.
Making payments and gaming features of WeChat makes it look like a lifestyle platform, unlike WhatsApp which is just a communication platform. It addresses the hourly and daily concerns of users through online lifestyle. Anything that the users can perhaps think of, is only possible with the WeChat.
- WeChat Has Additional Features
WhatsApp focuses on basic features like chats, video and photo sharing, whereas WeChat goes further to offer extra experience with voice and video call feature (works like Skype). ‘Moments’ is another innovative feature on WeChat that works like the ‘Newsfeed’ on Facebook. A few other features that you can access on WeChat include the creation of GIFs and images into hilarious stickers just like memes, gaming, sending e-cash “red envelops”, and scanning nearby friends using the ‘shake’ feature.
- WeChat Is More Safe and Secure Than WhatsApp
On the privacy and security side of view, WeChat is safer than WhatsApp. Anyone can send a message to you via WhatsApp so long as your mobile number is known. So, anyone can come into your inbox to gauge you and freely share any kind of information. Well, this is absolutely strange since it exposes users to hackers who can apply few scripts to rake chats and conversations for malicious purposes.
WeChat is completely secured as it encourages registration of accounts with details in national ID and you cannot send anyone message freely. You will need to send a request using the ‘add contact’ and wait for the approval in order to send a message.
Moreover, WeChat enables you to add people using QR codes and usernames especially those who don’t have working numbers. But WhatsApp will restrict you to add people exclusively using their phone numbers. This seems inconvenient or private depending on how its users look at it.
- Have Mini Programs Linking Users with Their Favorite Brands
To some extent, you will access mini-programs that provide advanced features such as coupons, e-commerce, and task management. For example, JD.com, the second largest B2B e-commerce platform in the Chinese market helps customers procure products and services via WeChat.
When you live in China, it may happen that you see people locked indoors as they transact as if it is magical. It is not that Chinese people are lazy! In fact, beneath the bottom of features provided by WeChat is imminent into Chinese cultural slogan of “Get everything done as quickly and efficiently as possible.” When you order for items via WeChat, it isn’t shocking to get them delivered to your doorstep after few hours.