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WeChat's "App Revolution" is by no means a technical revolution, as several other commenters have pointed out. There's nothing new with embedding a web browser,

WeChat's "App Revolution" is by no means a technical revolution, as several other commenters have pointed out. There's nothing new with embedding a web browser, nor with SSO, or integrated payments. The revolution is the fact that this is an app with an install base approaching one billion users (846M monthly active users as of Q3'16). Anything they do is potentially revolutionary by virtue of sheer scale. They are a platform as influential and powerful as Facebook is in the West. If they decide they want to compete with the platform's application store, they will provide strong competition. WeChat has already beaten out most other payment methods in China for day-to-day commerce - credit cards, cash, cheque, etc. It has beaten out most social networks there (after the introduction of the "Moments" feature), and all other instant messaging services including SMS. Taking over other application functions is simply a natural progression for the rather unstoppable juggernaut at this point - and third party app developers will be happy to oblige.

debt 10y ago
whatsapp still ain't got an api tho
- simonh 10y ago
  How do you think these micro-programs work? They haven't got a publicly published API, but they don't need one.
- nurettin 10y ago
  A Whatsapp server browses links you paste into chat, searches for any meta tags and opengraph information it can find and shows a picture/title in chat if it can. That's as close as it got to an API
sho_hn 10y ago
The situation is very similar in Korea with KakaoTalk. They have several apps within the messenger itself (e.g. even one that lets you book a hairdresser appointment) and currently still several outside (e.g. taxi hailing), but altogether they're in a similar position.
- Markoff 10y ago
  it's not similar, WeChat competition is blocked by Chinese government, kakao operates in free market
  - robjan 10y ago
    Is it? There are alternatives to WeChat which are not blocked by the great firewall. For instance, although not comparable, I am able to use WhatsApp perfectly well without the use of a VPN.
    - teknologist 10y ago
      It's rather slow and photo uploads consistently fail for me. There's a very noticeable difference in speed (hence usability)
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
yousry 10y ago
Calling a competitor to Apple, Facebook and Co "unstoppable juggernaut" is sarcasm, isn't it?
- Vinnl 10y ago
  Well, it's about as accurate as calling Apple and Facebook "unstoppable juggernauts". You decide how accurate that is :)
- teknologist 10y ago
  One thing is for sure: the Great Firewall is unstoppable in its blocking of Facebook, Google and co.
simonh 10y ago
My wife is Chinese but has lived in the UK since 2001 and is a British citizen. In the early days she talked about us moving to China some day, but now feels much more at home here. She absolutely loves WeChat and uses it all the time. She uses it to keep in touch with old friends in China and new Chinese friends in the UK. It also keeps her connected to contemporary Chinese culture. So even outside China, WhatsApp's reach through the broader Chinese community is almost total.
- narutouzumaki 10y ago
  I reckon you mean WeChat as well in your last sentence, not Whatsapp? Otherwise, please explain.
  - simonh 10y ago
    Ouch, slip of the fingers. I can't edit it now.
- Markoff 10y ago
  well if she doesn't mind reporting everything to Chinese government in that piece of spyware (you can't even launch it with blocked location permission) and have censored speech with deleted inappropriate Moments posts and PRIVATE communication, then it's nice app i guess
  - fornever 10y ago
    Maybe the US companies and government should have thought about that before making that behavior normal in the digital world.
    - ralfd 10y ago
      In contrast to your sarcastic snark the normal behavior in the west is secure end-to-end encryption (iMessage, Whatsapp).
      - 10y ago
zhengzhixuyao 10y ago
The credit of wechat's success should goes to the Crony capitalism of Communist Party of China. It is indeed a tool of surveillance of Communist Party of China
- LiweiZ 10y ago
  Wow, you created this account to just say this (noticed based on 政治需要, to meet political needs in English, your username). Being very cautious is a good habit. Not seeing this often these days. People in Chinese community are quite aware of what can not be talked publicly and simply shut those topics down themselves by ignoring everything related. edit: added English translation.

debt 10y ago

whatsapp still ain't got an api tho

simonh 10y ago
How do you think these micro-programs work? They haven't got a publicly published API, but they don't need one.
nurettin 10y ago
A Whatsapp server browses links you paste into chat, searches for any meta tags and opengraph information it can find and shows a picture/title in chat if it can. That's as close as it got to an API

sho_hn 10y ago

The situation is very similar in Korea with KakaoTalk. They have several apps within the messenger itself (e.g. even one that lets you book a hairdresser appointment) and currently still several outside (e.g. taxi hailing), but altogether they're in a similar position.

Markoff 10y ago
it's not similar, WeChat competition is blocked by Chinese government, kakao operates in free market
- robjan 10y ago
  Is it? There are alternatives to WeChat which are not blocked by the great firewall. For instance, although not comparable, I am able to use WhatsApp perfectly well without the use of a VPN.
  - teknologist 10y ago
    It's rather slow and photo uploads consistently fail for me. There's a very noticeable difference in speed (hence usability)

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

yousry 10y ago

Calling a competitor to Apple, Facebook and Co "unstoppable juggernaut" is sarcasm, isn't it?

Vinnl 10y ago
Well, it's about as accurate as calling Apple and Facebook "unstoppable juggernauts". You decide how accurate that is :)
teknologist 10y ago
One thing is for sure: the Great Firewall is unstoppable in its blocking of Facebook, Google and co.

simonh 10y ago

My wife is Chinese but has lived in the UK since 2001 and is a British citizen. In the early days she talked about us moving to China some day, but now feels much more at home here. She absolutely loves WeChat and uses it all the time. She uses it to keep in touch with old friends in China and new Chinese friends in the UK. It also keeps her connected to contemporary Chinese culture. So even outside China, WhatsApp's reach through the broader Chinese community is almost total.

narutouzumaki 10y ago
I reckon you mean WeChat as well in your last sentence, not Whatsapp? Otherwise, please explain.
- simonh 10y ago
  Ouch, slip of the fingers. I can't edit it now.
Markoff 10y ago
well if she doesn't mind reporting everything to Chinese government in that piece of spyware (you can't even launch it with blocked location permission) and have censored speech with deleted inappropriate Moments posts and PRIVATE communication, then it's nice app i guess
- fornever 10y ago
  Maybe the US companies and government should have thought about that before making that behavior normal in the digital world.
  - ralfd 10y ago
    In contrast to your sarcastic snark the normal behavior in the west is secure end-to-end encryption (iMessage, Whatsapp).
    - 10y ago

zhengzhixuyao 10y ago

The credit of wechat's success should goes to the Crony capitalism of Communist Party of China. It is indeed a tool of surveillance of Communist Party of China

LiweiZ 10y ago
Wow, you created this account to just say this (noticed based on 政治需要, to meet political needs in English, your username). Being very cautious is a good habit. Not seeing this often these days. People in Chinese community are quite aware of what can not be talked publicly and simply shut those topics down themselves by ignoring everything related. edit: added English translation.