Wechat's Open Platform for 3rd Party Apps

Previously, the Wechat Open API was extremely limited, merely allowing developers the option of in-app buttons that could share items to Moments or send them to a Wechat contact.

The most recent update includes an SDK, ability to launch the app from within Wechat, and in-app use of Wechat's direct payment service.

The ramifications of this update are rather far-reaching. For one, it could be seen as Tencent throwing in the towel on the idea of using service accounts rather than apps. In my own experience, nobody utilizes Wechat public accounts for their functions. Their greater adoption would probably imply moving them more upfront in the user experience, which would be really difficult in the already overcrowded Wechat app.

In addition, for some developers that had begun to feel overly dependent on the goodwill of Tencent, this move will allow them to move back towards their Android comfort zone. Wechat's public accounts have created who knows how many little Zynga-like companies, in every major and minor city in China, depending on use of Wechat to make their business model viable. Now, with their own 3rd party app, they can diversify their user base and still get the perks of Wechat integration.

Most importantly, this move positions Tencent to potentially dominate the mobile payment market.

You can sign up here: open.weixin.qq.com