Smartisan’s new messaging app looks to include payment features as it competes with WeChat – SCMP
What happened: A week after Smartisan launched the new messaging app named Bullet Messenger (Zidan Duanxin), founder Luo Yonghao posted on Weibo hinting that it may soon integrate payment features from Alipay.
Why it’s important: Bullet Messenger has risen to the top of the app store charts since its launch and is currently the most downloaded free app on the Apple app store in China. The messaging app has integrated a voice-to-text function—something that China’s most used messaging app WeChat does not have. Including payment features from Alipay (rival of WeChat Pay) would give Bullet Messenger a better shot at survival in a space largely dominated by WeChat.