10 WeChat Tips for iPhone App

WeChat is one of the popular messaging and payment apps in China. If you are a foreigner or expat planning to visit or living in China, then WeChat is a must use app for you. It has lot of hidden features that could help you to have fun and run your daily life with ease. Here are 10 such WeChat tips for iPhone app for foreigners.

10 WeChat Tips for iPhone App

You should go to App Store and install WeChat iOS app on your iPhone or iPad to use these features. We have identified useful features available in English so that you can use without anyone’s help. Note that the app is also called WeiXin in China and you may not find it in some countries App Store like India.

1. Share Location

Whenever you get lost or wanted to find someone, use the location sharing feature in WeChat. This is a very useful feature to find your friends in an unknown area. Tap on ⊕ button when chatting with your friend and choose “Location” option.

Select “Send Location” or “Real-time Location” to share the location with your friend. Then your friend can track and find you. Similarly, you can get the location from your friend and track with the map.

2. Translate

Did you receive a message in Chinese? Well, tap and hold the message till the time the pop-up menu appears. Now, tap on the “Translate” option. This will help to translate the message into English. Though the translation may be funny sometime, you can get the correct meaning of the content in most cases.

Other useful function is to scan and translate the text. Tap on “Discover” from the bottom on chat screen and navigate to “Scan” section. You can scan any document in Chinese or other language and WeChat will instantly translate the content to English.

3. Set Alias

One of the problems in China is that people have two names – real Chinese name and the fake English name. Of course, you can’t understand the name written in Chinese. WeChat offers an easy way to set alias name to add English name for the contacts.

When you are in the chat screen of individual or group, tap the profile picture showing left side of the message. Now, tap on “Edit Contact” option and then set the English alias in “Remark” field. Henceforth, the English alias name will be shown in the chat conversations.

4. Recalling Sent Message

Sent a wrong message or wrongly sent a message to different group? Tap and hold the sent message and choose “Recall” option. This will delete the message from the chat history. If the receiver did not read, then they will only see that you have recalled a sent message. Remember, you can only recall a message before the next message is sent or received. You can’t recall a message from the old history.

5. Set Custom Background

On the chat screen of individual contact, tap on the three dots buttons on the top right corner. Here you will have multiple options for customizing the chat with that contact. Remember these settings will be applied only for that contact and not on the account level.

Choose “Background” option and set a custom background. You have options to choose a wallpaper, select from Photos or take a photo using camera. The background screen will be changed only when you chat with that contact. You can also mute notifications only from the person from here.

6. WeChat Payments

This is one of the major reasons expats use WeChat in China. First, you should add a bank account to your WeChat account to enable payment system. Then, you can withdraw the money from your bankcard to WeChat account. It is possible to pay bills from your WeChat balance or directly from the connected bankcard.

In China, you really don’t need a physical wallet and WeChat digital wallet is sufficient to live. Learn more on how to do money transfer to your friends and a detailed guide to setup WeChat Pay for foreigners.

Every WeChat account will have one payment code which you can use for paying money on the shops. Generally, the cashier will scan using the barcode reader. Upon your verification, WeChat payment system will instantly transfer the money for your purchases. You can do this by opening WeChat and tap on the ⊕ icon showing on top right corner of the “Chats” section. Choose “Money” option to reveal the payment code. Show this code to barcode reader on shops and pay the money from your WeChat account. Be careful to use this payment code, as the vendor will instantly deduct the money and there are no ways to get the money back.

7. Mobile Top Up

WeChat payment system allows you to participate in many programs. One simple use for foreigners is to top up their mobile numbers. You can top up your own or anyone’s number from your WeChat account. Learn more on how to use WeChat for mobile top up.

8. Search for Friends

Bored with regular routines? Searching friends is easier in WeChat. There are multiple ways to add friends in WeChat. Open WeChat, tap on the ⊕ icon and select “Add Contacts”. You will have plenty of options to find people.

• Friend Radar – find the people nearer to you using radar like map.
• Join Private Group – start or join a private chat group with the friends nearby.
• Scan QR Code – scan the QR code of your friend and in the contact list. After tapping on the ⊕ icon, you can also simply scan your friend’s QR code and them in your contacts.
• Mobile Contacts – upload all your mobile contacts and look for the people using WeChat.
• Official Accounts – search for any official brand or company’s WeChat account.
• WeCom Contacts – find WeCom users with their mobile numbers.

Besides above listed options, go to “Discover > Nearby > People” to get the list of people using WeChat nearby your location.

9. Sending Red Packet

Hong bao or red packet is a small packet of lucky money. It is a tradition in China to gift money in a red cover during Chinese New Year time. This is a good way to show your gratitude to your friends. This is good especially if you are in a good position in your company having lot of Chinese colleagues or you have lot of Chinese friends helping you to get things done.

On the chat screen, tap on the ⊕ button next to the text box. Select “Red Packet” option and follow the process to prepare and send the money as a gift. You can also do this in a group, setting the total amount and the number of red packets. People opening the red packets will get random money allocated from the total amount. Learn more on how to send red packet in WeChat.

10. Services and Mini Programs

Go to “Discover > Mini Programs” sections to view all the mini programs available through WeChat. Also, you can find many other services under “Me > Wallet” section. You can book taxi, hotel and pay utility bills through WeChat Mini Programs. Since most of the services are connected to local vendors, the connected pages will be in Chinese. So, you need help for setting up things for you, then you can follow it easily. For example, you can use programs like bike sharing to scan and ride a cycle. After finished, park the cycle, lock it and pay through WeChat.

Conclusion

WeChat iPhone app is a wonderful app makes you life easier in China. It is a multipurpose app used for chatting, voice messaging and most importantly for sending money to your friends and payment to vendors. As a caution, use WeChat to chat with only the people you know. You may receive lot of friend requests from unknown people. Don’t get into trouble by accepting unnecessary friends and start chatting with them.