WeChat (called Weixin in China) has just surpassed 438.2 million active users according to WeChat owner Tencent’s latest quarterly report. That’s up from 396 million active users in May and represents continued (albeit slowing) growth for China’s star communication platform.
This new count represents a 57 per cent year-on-year and an 11 per cent increase compared to the prior quarter, adding 46 million users in three months. By comparison, WhatsApp had 500 million users as of April, pitting the Facebook-owned company at near neck-and-neck with WeChat.
The company said it had “enhanced the community and payment functionalities of Weixin, and broadened the breadth and reach of Weixin’s service offerings by connecting our core capabilities with those of our strategic partners”.
WeChat is continuing to focus on “driving user engagement in selected international markets”
WeChat has been pushing its gaming platform and has plans to plans to bring Fruit Ninja and Cookie Run to WeChat this year. Gaming revenue grew 7 percent compared to he prior quarter to reach CNY11.1 billion. WeChat has also been cracking down on WeChat accounts registered under fake names.
The company added that it is continuing to focus on “driving user engagement in selected international markets” for WeChat and that it has “built a significant revenue base and established a strong market position in publishing” of mobile games.
WeChat is available for most major mobile platforms.