Tencent launched the messaging service WeChat in 2011.
Tencent released WeChat, known in China as Weixin, in January 2011. The service was developed by a team at Tencent led by Allen Zhang. It began as a mobile messaging application and expanded into voice messaging, video calls, social feeds, payments, and mini programs.
WeChat's rapid growth reflected the spread of smartphones and mobile internet access in China. Its combination of communication, commerce, and services made it more than a conventional text-messaging app. Outside mainland China, the English name WeChat became the service's primary international brand.
WeChat is sometimes confused with Tencent QQ, an older Tencent messaging platform that began in the 1990s. QQ remained important, particularly among desktop and younger users, while WeChat became Tencent's central mobile social platform. Tencent's ownership of both services is one reason the two names are often discussed together.