On Monday, the hashtags #AppleRespondsToiPhone16NotSupportingWeChat and #WhatIfAppleRemovesWeChat both trended on Chinese social platform Weibo, triggering widespread speculation among users in China.
Reports on Weibo had suggested that Tencent’s WeChat might not be compatible with the new iPhone 16, with some advising users against updating their iOS systems. However, both the Tencent and Apple teams have stated that they had not received any official notifications regarding this issue.
Why it matters: WeChat is a multifunctional Chinese app that combines messaging, social networking, mobile payments, and various other services into a single platform. It has become an almost essential tool for daily life in China. Apple will launch its first AI-powered iPhone 16 series next week, and despite its rebuttals, this speculation could impact the new product’s sales.
Details: As of writing, #AppleRespondsToiPhone16NotSupportingWeChat has reached 280 million views and generated 70,000 discussions (including posts and comments), while #WhatIfAppleRemovesWeChat has received 150 million views and 32,000 discussions.
- The suggestion that WeChat will not work on the iPhone 16 or the iOS 18.2 system is false, according to a reporter from local media outlet Yicai, who cited informed sources at Tencent. The report did note that Apple wants to block payment loopholes to prevent developers from directing users to external payment systems, and had warned Tencent about this issue, according to previous unverified reports.
- A reporter from Zhengguan News called both Tencent’s and Apple’s customer service lines to inquire about the issue and both teams responded, “We have not received this information at the moment.”
- A reporter from The Beijing News also contacted Apple’s official hotline. An Apple China district technical advisor said that whether iOS systems or Apple devices will continue to support WeChat depends on further communication between Apple and Tencent.
- “Developers will incur a fee for each additional download after reaching a certain number,” the tech advisor mentioned. “Apple is discussing future revenue shares from software downloads with Tencent. For updates on WeChat’s availability, users should rely on official announcements, as third-party information cannot be verified,” he added.
- Apple will introduce the latest iPhone 16 series on Sep. 10, leading some Chinese netizens to speculate that the unverified information and trending topics on Weibo might have come from Chinese competitors attempting to weaken the new Apple products’ competitive edge. “Negative reports like this are not surprising, as they occur every year before Apple’s launch events,” commented a netizen on the tech media outlet ITHome’s report.
Context: In June, Apple introduced Apple Intelligence at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2024. Currently, only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max support some of these AI features, but the iPhone 16 series will fully integrate Apple AI, making it Apple’s first AI-powered smartphone.
- According to Tencent’s second quarter financial report, WeChat’s MAU (Monthly Active Users) reached 1.371 billion. The app is free to download on both iOS and Android platforms.
- Huawei on Monday announced that its autumn product launch event will take place on Sep. 10, coinciding with Apple’s iPhone 16 series release. At the event, Huawei will unveil a range of new devices, including a triple-foldable phone and the AITO M9 SUV.
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