ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - WeChat has become a central part of daily life in China, where people use the app not only to communicate but also to pay, shop, work, find jobs and run businesses.
“WeChat is part of my body, I think it’s my brain,” Zhang Yu, a blogger, told Mahdi Faraj on Saturday. “If I don’t use WeChat when I wake up in the morning, It feels bad,” added Yu, who also uses the app for business.
For many users, the app has become so deeply embedded in their everyday life that imagining life without it is difficult.
For student Wang Yilu, checking WeChat is one of the first things she does each morning.
“If WeChat disappeared, I’d probably panic,” she said. “I would feel like I have been cut off from the whole world, and I'd be extremely anxious.”
Launched by Chinese technology giant Tencent in 2011, WeChat has developed into what is commonly known as a “super app,” combining messaging, social media, payments, shopping and other services.
Tencent says Weixin and WeChat had more than 1.4 billion combined monthly active users worldwide in the first quarter of 2026.Its popularity in China is largely linked to the number of everyday services available through a single app, making communication, payments, shopping and work accessible from one place.
WeChat Pay has also transformed everyday transactions in China, with many people relying on their phones instead of carrying cash or bank cards.For many Chinese users, being without a phone and WeChat can therefore mean being disconnected from much of daily life.
“On most of my trips out, I carry my phone and rarely carry cash,” said Shu Lian, a technology company employee. “If I don’t have my phone, or if my phone's battery suddenly dies, shopping can become very inconvenient.”
The platform is also used for business and employment. Job advertisements can be posted through WeChat, while QR codes allow people to quickly access information and contact employers.