China’s all-purpose WeChat app lets users register two accounts with one phone number in pilot test
- The secondary account, which requires a different ID and password to log in, comes with its own digital wallet and can access other functions under WeChat Pay
- WeChat has become a go-to app for the workplace, for sharing documents, holding video and audio conferences, and as a substitute for emails
WeChat, the all-purpose social media app operated by Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings, is pilot testing a function that allows users to register for an extra account under the same mobile number, a move that could help people manage use of the app in their personal and work lives.
The secondary account, which requires a different ID and password to log in, comes with its own digital wallet and can access other functions under WeChat Pay.
Previously only one WeChat account was permitted per mobile number, which blurred the lines between professional and personal use as many of the app’s 1.29 billion monthly active users rely on it for everyday communications, entertainment and work.
The new function has been in pilot testing among a select group of users since last year, and it is unknown if or when it will be officially launched, according to a report by Chinese media outlet Thepaper.cn.
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Tencent declined to comment when reached on Wednesday.
WeChat’s move could help ease user complaints that some companies are forcing employees to use the app for work purposes, when they originally only signed up to use its chat and social media functions for their private lives.
To serve the need for professional users, Tencent has been promoting its WeCom work app which is integrated with WeChat in terms of functions, including chat and payments.
The trial phase of WeChat’s dual registration function drew mixed reactions on Chinese social media this week, with the hashtag for the topic trending on China’s Twitter-like platform Weibo with 250 million views and 10,000 posts by Wednesday afternoon.
Some welcomed the move as a way to better separate work and life, while others were not impressed.
“I’m looking forward to this. Those I know from work can connect me through my secondary account from now on,” said one of the most upvoted comments on Weibo.
However, some complained that the two accounts cannot work concurrently and they could miss the message on the main account when switching to the other one. Users of Android smartphones have been able to bypass the rule by using third-party tools to operate multiple duplicates of the WeChat app at the same time.
