Tencent launched WeChat in 2011.
WeChat was released by Tencent in January 2011 under the Chinese name Weixin. The service began as a mobile messaging application and later added voice messaging, video calls, group chats, social feeds, payments, mini programs, and other services. Its broad feature set helped it become a central platform in everyday digital life in China.
The international name WeChat was adopted as the service expanded beyond China. Tencent had already become widely known for QQ, an earlier instant-messaging service that helped establish the company as a major internet business. WeChat extended Tencent’s reach into the smartphone era, when mobile communications were becoming more important than desktop messaging.
WeChat is often confused with TikTok because both are globally recognized Chinese-owned internet products, but they come from different companies. TikTok is operated by ByteDance, whereas WeChat is a Tencent product. Tencent’s other major businesses include online games, digital content, advertising, cloud services, and financial technology.