iPhone or WeChat? Faced with this choice, most users will probably choose WeChat, because WeChat is an indispensable communication tool in China, and even food, clothing, housing and transportation are related to it. Although iPhone has a large number of users in China, there is no substitute for WeChat in the short term, and even if there are users, they may not use it.
A Weibo blogger noticed that WeChat on the App Store has not been updated for more than two months. Since the relationship between Apple and Tencent has become tense, the frequency of new feature pushes for the Apple version of WeChat has significantly decreased. If this situation continues, it will inevitably affect the experience of iPhone users using WeChat.
WeChat iOS version has not pushed new features for more than two months (Photo source: Weibo @龙二Pro)
Apple has reportedly been pressuring Tencent to make fundamental changes to WeChat, specifically prohibiting the redirection of users to external payment systems. Apple wants to close certain loopholes within WeChat and other apps such as TikTok that allow content creators to bypass Apple’s usual 30% commission and directly direct users to other payment methods.
At present, the two sides are still negotiating on this issue, but from the outside, it seems that neither Tencent nor Apple is willing to compromise easily. The development of this situation is not only related to the distribution of interests between the two technology giants, but also directly affects the usage habits and experience of the majority of users. If the negotiations eventually break down, domestic iPhone users will have to choose between iPhone and WeChat.
