Latest WeChat update hints at its ‘operating system’ ambitions

China’s super messaging app WeChat rolled out an update earlier this week allowing users to find and use its download-free mini-programs more easily in an experience like that offered in an operating system.

The new version gives more prominence to mini-programs, which are hidden by default in the messaging app. To view the mini-programs, users need to swipe down from the top of the app’s “Chats” window. Previously, this would have opened a half-screen menu displaying a list of recently used and liked mini-programs with little additional functionality.

With the update, a window resembling a smartphone’s home screen is displayed when swiping down from within the app. The embedded applications also have been made directly searchable from the window, with WeChat adding a mini-program search bar.

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