We already reported on WeChat’s worldwide launch of social games a few days ago, but that’s not all Tencent has had roll out with its popular messaging app this week.
The company also inked a deal with GetIt Infomedia in India to provide location-based local searches through an AskMe search powered account on the WeChat service. This will include information about deals of the day, restaurants as well as feature real-time classified feeds. WeChat users will also be able to call their address book contacts directly via the application.
In addition, WeChat has also expanded into banking in China. WeChat now has a “wealth” section where users can store their savings in a new monetary fund managed by Huaxia Bank straight from their smartphones via TenPay, Tencent’s third-party payment system. It’s been reported that up to RMB 1 million ($165,400) can be deposited into accounts via the app with an annual rate of 6.435 percent and no minimum investment required.
Of course, these new services build upon the app’s social messaging foundation and could signal what the future might hold for other calling and messaging apps in the space.