SINGAPORE — China messaging app WeChat is aiming to win more users in Singapore by entering the social-mobile space with the latest release of version 5.1, which is where the WeChat Games platform was introduced.

“WeChat is not only a messaging app,” said WeChat developer Tencent’s Singapore Country Manager Louis Song this week. “The product is evolving and WeChat (has) developed from a messaging app to a social app to a social-mobile platform.”

WeChat grew its user base by an impressive 1,021 per cent in the 16-to-19age group worldwide in the first to third quarters of last year; and it is young people, such as those leaving Facebook, that the app is targeting, with its customers mainly from the 15-to-35 age group, said Mr Song.

There are currently more than 100 million users of WeChat outside China and, while the firm did not want to reveal the number of users in Singapore, Mr Song said WeChat had reached a 60 per cent penetration rate for all smartphone users in the Republic.

He added that WeChat usage is quite high in Singapore, attributing part of the growth to the number of Chinese nationals here.

Even then, the focus for expansion would be on local users. “Singapore is a very important market for WeChat global. I think we will try to provide more localised and useful features for the local market this year,” he said.

“We have a lot of features that can be (installed) inside. But we have to balance user experience, which is the most important thing,” he added.

A key feature of WeChat is its privacy settings, such as the requirements for two-way confirmation before users can be friends. Mr Song said WeChat does not store users’ messages on its servers. “Security and privacy issues are always the most important.”

WeChat is also working with local firms to improve user experience in Singapore.

Citing successful partnerships with Secret Recipe in Malaysia, Mr Songsaid WeChat is working with StarHub to implement services it currently provides with China Unicom. “(StarHub) is very eager to launch the services we have launched with China Unicom. It’ll be soon and just needs technical integration at the back end.” ALVIN CHONG