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Shanghai - As Facebook snaps up smartphone messaging service WhatsApp for a monumental $19bn in cash and shares, focus has turned to its rivals. Here are some background facts about China's popular mobile messaging application WeChat.
Background:
WeChat, or "Weixin" in Chinese, is a free instant messaging and social media mobile application developed by Chinese Internet giant Tencent and officially launched in January 2011.
It has not only become a popular mobile communications tool in China, but has also attracted tens of millions of users in overseas markets.
Users:
The number of monthly active users worldwide reached 272 million as of end-September last year, more than doubling from a year earlier.
The company does not specify how many are inside China or overseas.
Features:
WeChat provides text, photo, video and voice messaging services on major mobile platforms. The application has also incorporated a range of new services in its latest versions, including games, online payments and taxi booking.
Its parent Tencent bought a 20% stake in restaurant listing platform Dianping.
Developer:
Founded in 1998 in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, Tencent is one of the country's largest Internet service providers and rivals domestic search engine giant Baidu and e-commerce platform Alibaba.
The company has a Hong Kong listed unit, Tencent Holdings, with a staggering market capitalisation of around $140bn. Besides WeChat, Tencent has a popular instant messaging service in China, QQ, that was launched in 1999.
