WeChat, the “national-level social platform” of China, as Tencent likes to call it, published a new update for iOS devices. The iOS 6.6.7 version introduced a major overhaul. Here is what you can expect:
- The first change is meant to correct a functionality issue WeChat has had since its inception. Users found it difficult to finish articles from a WeChat official account since moving to other features within the app including would instantly remove them from the article. In this version, WeChat solves the problem by narrowing the page or article to a floating window. Users can drag the window to minimize it or cancel reading. While the article is in the floating window, users can play games, chat and use other functionalities.
Screenshot from the newly updated WeChat for iOS. - Emojis will be displayed by order of the last one used, similar to Whatsapp. The left side of the emoji list can show up to 9 most recently sent emojis.
Screenshot from the newly updated WeChat for iOS. - Another change is in the information page of the subscription and official accounts which is now divided into the basic information area and the content area (or service area). The information page will display the number of original articles and the content area shows 3 messages from the public account.
Screenshot from the newly updated WeChat for iOS. - The search feature inside Top Stories(看一看) has added more columns. Special columns now include 24-hour news, what friends are looking, official account articles, nearby people, and more.
Screenshot from the newly updated search function in WeChat. - Moments, WeChat’s version of Facebook’s newsfeed, has received a new clean design for the top cover photo. The top banner with the word Moments and a camera icon will now shrink as the user scrolls down.
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Screenshot of WeChat Moments’ upper cover photo in the newly updated WeChat for iOS.
The Android version of the update is still in beta but the leaked images which TechNode published yesterday show similar changes. One more change that was discovered in the Android beta version was the double-tap feature which was previously reserved for enlarging messages for a better view. The update now allows users to forward messages and set reminders while in this view.