WeChat, or Weixin as its known in Chinese, combines functions and services that in the West are done by a number of separate companies think of Facebook and its Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram services combined with PayPal and Uber.
By linking a credit card or bank account, users can pay for almost anything: movie tickets, food delivery orders and subway and bus tickets.
You can split restaurant bills with your friends, pay your electricity bill, store digital coupons, and donate to charities.
The app hosts group chats where users can discuss topics like sports, technology, social issues, investment ideas, celebrities, breaking news and beyond.
The app rolled out a new feature this year, Time Capsule, that removes user videos after 24 hours, in an apparent attempt to mimic Facebooks Stories feature.
Users can also send friends digital stickers, get access to online games and find out whos nearby by shaking their phone.
Companies and organizations both inside and outside China can use the app for marketing by setting up an official account.
It is wildly popular in mainland China and less so in other countries, which is unsurprising because the communist leaders in Beijing have blocked its citizens from accessing Facebook and other Silicon Valley services for years.
Chinese dissidents and activists have long suspected that authorities are able to monitor what theyve been saying on the app.
Original article