For South Koreans, KakaoTalk serves as a convenient messaging app, while for Chinese users, WeChat (微信) functions more like an operating system (OS) that drives daily life. In the West, WeChat has long been referred to as "China's Operating System." Users can send messages, hail taxis, make payments, book medical appointments, and pay utility bills without opening separate apps. This is possible because numerous services are integrated into WeChat through what are known as "mini-programs." Although it may appear similar to KakaoTalk, WeChat's penetration into the daily lives of Chinese people is significantly deeper.
The transformation of WeChat from a simple app to a vital infrastructure was particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic with the introduction of the "health code." This health code, which combined administrative functions within WeChat's mini-programs, linked individuals' identities and movement data to the national health monitoring system. WeChat demonstrated that its convenience could merge with public administration, functioning as part of a governance infrastructure. The European Centre for International Political Economy (CEPA) analyzed in a 2025 report that the narrative emphasizing convenience, efficiency, and economic growth in Chinese society is intertwined with the acceptance of digital control. Convenience and control are not opposites; they operate simultaneously within a single platform.
The foundation of this convenience is data. WeChat is a super app that combines messaging, payments, shopping, and administrative services. A 2025 study by Princeton University, the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, and Ryerson University confirmed that WeChat can extensively track user activities within its popular mini-programs. Both users and developers have no means to refuse this tracking, which is noteworthy as it is conducted by WeChat itself rather than a third-party advertising firm.
People use WeChat not because they are compelled to, but because it is convenient. The issue arises as the integration of messaging, payments, shopping, and administrative services into a single platform increases the costs of leaving that platform.
The pandemic has ended, and the health code's role in public health has concluded. However, the trend of linking digital identities with everyday services continues. In the meantime, private platforms like WeChat have been directly collecting users' identification information for real-name verification. Since August 2024, over 80 apps, including WeChat, have piloted a government-issued "online identity certificate" (網證), which was officially implemented in July of the previous year. This certification system allows users to verify their identities across multiple platforms without directly providing identification information.
The government describes this as a privacy protection measure that eliminates the need to share identification information directly with platform companies. However, a clear change has occurred: a state-operated certification system has been added to the online identity verification previously conducted by private platforms.
"Why can't Chinese people give up WeChat?" Following this question leads to the realization that convenience precedes control. People began using WeChat because it was convenient, and as users congregated, payment and shopping features were introduced, followed by administrative and lifestyle services. Thus, WeChat has established itself as an infrastructure that drives daily life within a single app. Initially, choosing WeChat was a matter of freedom, but the costs of leaving it have grown to an extent that is difficult to compare with the past.
This phenomenon is not unique to China. As a single platform takes over more aspects of daily life, convenience increases, but so do the costs associated with leaving. WeChat serves as a clear example of how far this structure can extend. The exit-less super app has emerged from the accumulation of convenience.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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