TikTok owner ByteDance claims WeChat banning links makes Douyin more social in latest public spat with Tencent
- ByteDance China CEO Kelly Zhang says Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, is becoming a more social platform because its links are blocked on WeChat
- Competition between ByteDance and WeChat owner Tencent has been ramping up in many areas in recent years, including games and video streaming
The head of ByteDance’s China operations said Douyin users have become more social on the platform because of WeChat’s policy of blocking links to the short video app, becoming the latest volley in a bitter exchange between the two Chinese tech titans.
“[Social networking on Douyin] is occurring due to internal and external forces,” Zhang said. The internal reason, according to the CEO, is because of the massive popularity of the app, which had 600 million daily active users as of last August. The external reason, she said, is the WeChat ban. WeChat users started reporting problems with sharing Douyin links in March 2018.
“Everybody knows that Douyin is blocked by WeChat. But people are social animals who want to record, express, connect and interact with people out of instinct. When the instinct is cut off from external [channels], it naturally grows within Douyin,” Zhang said.
Tencent declined to comment.
ByteDance says Tencent is blocking its office tool
WeChat has blocked many third-party links for years, and ByteDance is not the only company affected. According to WeChat’s policies from 2019, the ban is meant to “optimise user experience and protect the legitimate rights of users”.
While the policy on certain third-party links has affected Tencent’s own partners and investees in the past, including JD.com, the practice remains controversial for competitors like Douyin. Some accuse Tencent of using WeChat’s dominant position to stifle competition.
With WeChat advancing on its turf, Douyin has also started to harness the power of social networking.
WeChat’s creator says the app’s future is short videos and live-streaming
Zhang said on Tuesday that using the short video app will become a new way for people to celebrate the festival. Douyin has prepared more than 50 special video effects and mini games, she said, as ByteDance seeks to make short videos a “new tradition” for the holiday.