WeChat is a new and completely free messaging app currently trumping well known competitors WhatsApp, Viber and LINE with some of its awesome and unique features. We give you a breakdown of what the messaging app can do so that you can decide for yourself if you want to make the switch.
What is WeChat?
WeChat is an instant messaging app for Android, iPhone, Windows Phone, BlackBerry, Symbian and Java. Perhaps the reason behind it’s recent success is the company’s huge advertising campaign featuring superstar Leo Messi, but this app has its own merits without needing the help of the famous footballer. Aside from all the functions we’re used to, like creating group chats, sending photos, music files, and voice notes, WeChat introduces some functions never before seen in similar messaging apps.
1. Enrich your chats with colored stickers
WeChat integrates two of the best parts of WhatsApp and LINE: when you’re chatting, you can insert both emoticons and stickers, all for free!
2. Create a live chat
All it takes is a few taps to start a group conversation and live voice chat. It’s a type of multi-user walkie-talkie which makes conversations more immediate and fun, although only one person can speak at a time when the indicator light is green.
3. Make a video call
With video call mode, you can talk face-to-face with your friends. During the call, you can choose to toggle between video and audio. This feature makes WeChat a potential competitor for Skype, which has been the undisputed king of VoIP calls up until now.
4. Meet new people online
With the ‘Shake’ feature, you literally shake your device and find other people around you doing the same thing. In the results list, you can then select a contact that intrigues you and send a chat message to get to know them, a feature that reminds us a lot of Chatroulette.
5. Chat using your computer
Although there are several tricks to using WhatsApp on your PC, an official PC version was never actually released. Too bad for WhatsApp, because WeChat hasn’t let this opportunity slip through their fingers, having implemented a version for chatting directly in your browser.
6. Share ‘Moments’ with Facebook
The ‘Moments’ function in WeChat is similar to Facebook posts but more focused on photos. In fact, sharing ‘Moments’ on Facebook is easy thanks to Facebook integration. All you have to do is snap a photo, add a comment (if you want), and hit send. Just make sure you connect WeChat with your Facebook account.
7. Built-in photo editing
Do you want to edit your photos to be published on social networks? Or maybe you want to add a filter to your profile picture on WeChat? This is all possible in WeChat without using external applications! The app has integrated photo editing, allowing you to edit photos with a whole host of different filters.
What else does WeChat have to offer? There’s a blacklist to prevent you being contact by unwanted users, as well as the option to send messages to multiple contacts at once.
There are clearly a ton of WeChat features available that the competitors haven’t been able to tap into yet, so try it out for yourself and see if it’s worth all the fuss!
