Even though the market for instant messaging apps has become very populated – some even say it’s overcrowded – one of the classic apps still dominates quite successfully. WeChat has been around for a while and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon – and if anything, the app has been getting more and more popular over the last few months, with the trend looking like it’ll continue.
It actually has various features over the competition that give it a solid edge and allow the app to easily dominate the market among certain groups of users. For example, sharing contact invitations in the form of QR codes has been very popular with some people, and WeChat has the feature built directly into the app.
The “shake” feature has been one of the most prominent ones as well, letting WeChat function as a dating/meetup app very easily. The basic premise is simple – when a user wants to meet someone new, they can just shake their device. This will prompt the app to attempt to find matches among other users who’re currently shaking their own devices, allowing people to easily find new friends when they’re feeling bored.
The app also has a “walkie-talkie” feature which makes it great for free conference calls, and many users have been making active use of that feature alone. According to reports, some users prefer WeChat specifically because of the smooth and intuitive walkie-talkie interface, and even though it’s a feature meant mostly for fun, it’s actually quite useful in various situations.
Last but not least, we have the “message in a bottle” feature which lets users communicate with random other WeChat users across the globe, by sending a message that can then be randomly read by others. This can easily help break the ice with some interesting bits from one’s life, or it can simply be used for fun, as a sort of an anonymous version of Twitter.
In the end, WeChat doesn’t really have much to worry about, at least for the time being. The app has numerous users who appreciate its extensive feature set, smooth interface and constant support, and it will likely remain relevant for a very long time. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt if its developers continued supporting it with new features and even more optimizations, but its current state is good enough as is. On the other hand, some users have actually expressed a desire against seeing too many new features, as they seem to be afraid that this could lead to the app becoming bloated and slowing down under the load of its many components. Hopefully, that won’t be the case.