WeChat Launches QR Code Identity For Users

In August 2012, WeChat, a messaging app run by Tencent International Business Group (China based), was launched in India. We reviewed the app then and featured its most prominent offerings. Later, we reported how WeChat has introduced video chat and Hindi support so as to connect with local users. As of now, the platform offers voice chat facilities and allows users to share photos as well. The move to add more features to the app and make it more wholesome as compared to WhatsApp seems to have paid off as this app has found its foothold in the Indian as well as global market; though given the sheer number of mobile users in India alone, there is still much room to explore.

WeChat, which has an international customer base of 200 million users, has launched personalised QR codes on the iOS, Windows and Android platforms. According to the company, these QR codes will serve as the user’s identity and the same can be shared across the messaging platform as well as via Facebook and email. All one has to do is go the settings tab in the app, and click on the ‘My QR Name Card’ option to get a personalized QR code created.

Mr. Dennis Hau, Head of International Product Center, Tencent International Business Group, said, “At WeChat, we believe in offering our users innovative and fun ways to connect with the world. The concept of personal customised QR codes has found huge popularity globally. QR codes provide a unique identity to users along with a non intrusive form of connecting in the social media space. WeChat has become very popular in India within a short span of time and we will continue to offer new, exciting ways of engagement to our users.”

In a bid to promote this new offering, WeChat started a Twitter campaign with the hashtag #IfIWereAWeChatQRCode and promised to giveaway an iPhone 5, iPad3, Google Nexus 7 to the users who added maximum number of friends to the chat service using the QR codes. While the giveaways were top-notch, the hashtag trend backfired as most people were tweeting about it to complain how ‘stupid’ and ‘senseless’ the hashtag was.

I think the concept of generating QR codes that serve as identity cards is good, but for it to be more widespread the app needs to be adopted by more and more people. Only when the messaging platform penetrates the market further, will its actual adoption in the market be known and understood.

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Image Courtesy |  dev.kidela

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