WeChat - Social Messaging Mobile App - Review & How-To

Once in a while, you will come across an app which would just make you say 'WOW' . Now, we're gonna have a look at such an app- The mother of all social messaging applications - WeChat.

Source: TcMaine


Almost every social messaging application in the app market is stereotyped to be a text based application. Developed by TenCent in China, WeChat offers voice, video and text messaging in addition to photo/video/contacts sharing features across different mobile platforms (iOs, Android, Windows, Symbian, Blackberry and many more to come).


To explain it in a better way, I have picked up illustrative screenshots from WeChat's official website(You know I'm pretty bad with my designs).  Here's some of the important features which makes WeChat standout from rest of the social messaging applications

  • LiveChat
  • GroupChat
  • Chat History Backup
  • Video Call
  • Voice Chat
  • Web WeChat
  • Shake
  • Look Around
  • Drift Bottle
and much more. Not to forget the emoticons, which I personally feel the best in business. I assure, you wouldn't have and will not see WeChat's emoticons anywhere else. 


There are some colorful emoticons as well..

Source: WeChat


Let's discuss some of other features of WeChat, I really loved.

Shake: 


With WeChat, you can not just connect with people in contact list but also with the people around you (might be a stranger as well). This is where, WeChat stands by it's marketing quote 'A new way to connect'. Yes. 

Select the option 'Social' and then the option 'Shake' from the Dropdown list. This feature of WeChat needs to access your location, so you got to make sure that you location based service in your smartphone is enabled. 

Just Shake your phone and you will able to see a list of people, somewhere around in your vicinity shaking their phones too, to connect with new people. You can click on their profile, send a greeting and then build a new relationship out of nowhere. This is undoubtedly a new way to connect. 



Source: WeChat
                                      
Source: WeChat
Source: WeChat



Drift Bottle: 


To access this feature, you might have to enable Drift Bottle by clicking on settings in your WeChat and then on Plugins. 

WeChat has taken tiny little message boxes (made up of glass and in the shape of a bottle) which is hugely popular among adults as a base and have designed this cool feature. 

To use this feature, you will have to click on the 'Social' button from your Wechat app and then click on 'Drift Bottle'. You will see a beautiful oceanic wallpaper in front of you with three other options - Throw, Pick and Bottles. If you want to throw a message into the sea, you might have to click on 'Throw' and if you want to pick a message someone has thrown into the sea, you might have to click on 'Pick'. How cool is that? You never know what message is gonna come at you. Sometimes, you might get a starfish and you might as well click on 'Pick' again to view a new message. 
Source: WeChat

Source: WeChat

Web WeChat:


Not just smartphones, you can use WeChat in your PC as well (A cool new feature for the working professionals who cannot stick to their smartphones during working hours). 

To access Wechat in your PC, you have to click on the Magic wand located on top right corner of the app's interface and select 'WebWeChat' and then 'Start'. Log on to web.wechat.com in your PC, scan the QR code and click on ok. Now , you are all set to use WeChat on your PC.

In addition to all these features mentioned above, Photos can be shared on an Instagram-like 'Moment's Page. WeChat has got limitless number of features to keep you engaged throughout the day. One has to very careful as well, because you won't be able to come out of the app once you get in (It's that addictive). 

To sum it up all, WeChat is an amalgamation of Facebook, Twitter, Skype, Whatsapp & Instagram with some added spicy features like Drift Bottle and Shake-Shake. Now it's time for the marketers like me to worry about on how we make use of this amazing app and 300 Million+ Active users across the globe? I'm sure WeChat is working on some case studies on how the businesses can make use of it. That would be of great help to give it a head start :-)









19 comments

19 comments :

Suresh Kumar said...

Commendable piece of writing with nice illustrative pics. Installing WeChat right away in my Blackberry. Thx for the info.

MohanSarj said...

I really love the WeChat app's emoticons. They are really unique.

Kritika Reddy said...

Never knew that WeChat has these many features. I though it is just another messaging app like WeChat. Now its time for me try the app and see what it's got.

Mich said...

Wondering if you could do a review on Whatsapp as well?

Raghav9890 said...

WeChat is my most favorite app on Play Store. The number of downloads the app has received says it all.

Shankar Nidhi said...

It does look like WeChat has got a lot to offer. Their Indian TV Commercials are also very impressive with Varun and Pari as their brand ambassadors to reach the mass of Indian youth.

Deepan said...

Thank you Suresh & Mohan.

@Kritika - You will just fall in love with WeChat. Like Pari said 'We love WeChat'

@Mich - I am not a big fan of Whatsapp :-P

@Raghav - Yes of course.

@Shankar - I do agree. WeChat TVCs are impressive. In addition to that, it features my favorite Parineeti.

Dushyanth Kumar said...

WeChat - Wanted to try this app for a long time. Your review has convinced me to download this application now.

Vinay Chaudhury said...

Now Wechat goes straight into my must-have android app list!!!!

Devi said...

Nice mobile app

Pallika Sinha said...

Does it work better than Whatsapp? I have been a long time fan of Whatsapp.

Saranya9013 said...

It does look like a must try app. Let me try with my symbian mobile and give you the feedback.

Sathya kandhasamy said...

the drift bottle sounds like a really cool feature. have u tried it?

Deepan said...

Dushyant, Vinay, Saranya, Sathya - Thanks a lot for your compliments. Indeed, WeChat is a must-have app in your smartphone. No doubt about it.

Deepan said...

@Pallika - Yes it is definitely better than Whatsapp

@Sathya - Yes I've and I really liked it.

Suresh Raman said...

It indeed looks like WeChat has got so many cool unique features. will give a try

Anurag M Gupta said...

Wechat is one of the app I love the most. The app has got superb features.

Saranya Sathish said...

Let me download it today and see what it has got compared to Whatsapp.

Thangavel said...

I have my doubts with Wechat. Looking at the aggressive marketing of them, I dont think they would keep the application free for a long time. atleast Whatsapp promises you one year of free usage