95% of Chinese Users Surveyed Would Rather Give Up Their iPhones Than Lose WeChat

one more said:
Because WeChat, as explained in a previous article, serves its users as a multi-functional tool, allowing to chat, make payments, etc. It also seems to be very popular in China.
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Pay utility bills, buy gas, apply for a marriage license, apply for a business license, check your kid's report card, book tickets, ride share, etc.

WeChat itself is an operating system with apps inside.
 
benshive said:
Sadly that may not be a luxury available to them. The Chinese government has banned all major social media networks and from what I've read seems to be okay with WeChat because they use it for mass surveillance of their citizens.
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The bottom line is that this is a matter of national security and it outweighs Apple’s desire to sell iPhones in China.

It’s in both our economic and national security interest to divest from China unless or until they play by the rules. Period. Millionaires and billionaires will make less money. I’m not shedding a tear. It’s not like they’ve fairly shared the profits they’ve made by offshoring manufacturing with those who lost their jobs or those who continue to work for these corporations. If they had it might be a different deal. It’s long past time for C level executives to take the same hit the middle class has and see how they like it.
 
The Phazer said:
Android isn't a company, it's an open source pile of code. Most Android devices in China are already shipping with Chinese owned app stores, not Google Play. There isn't much Trump can do about that.

Trump could stop an American headquartered Android OEM from offering devices with Wechat, but users could still sideload, and bluntly there aren't any major American headquartered Android OEMs that operate in China. They're all either Chinese or Korean owned.
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Pretty sure Android is licensed. Not sure they have perpetual licenses but they all seem to be updating to the newer Android OS.. So Google could pull the plug on those Chinese companies for Android. So could Microsoft.
 
benshive said:
Sadly that may not be a luxury available to them. The Chinese government has banned all major social media networks and from what I've read seems to be okay with WeChat because they use it for mass surveillance of their citizens.
Click to expand...

I admittedly am not very familiar with this app, but if the CCP can use it to spy on users, wouldn't this be a good reason to ban the app?
 
Macaholic868 said:
The bottom line is that this is a matter of national security and it outweighs Apple’s desire to sell iPhones in China.

It’s in both our economic and national security interest to divest from China unless or until they play by the rules. Period. Millionaires and billionaires will make less money. I’m not shedding a tear. It’s not like they’ve fairly shared the profits they’ve made by offshoring manufacturing with those who lost their jobs or those who continue to work for these corporations. If they had it might be a different deal. It’s long past time for C level executives to take the same hit the middle class has and see how they like it.
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It doesn't help one bit with "national security" because very few people in the U.S. use WeChat.

Outside the U.S., companies will still use WeChat to do business with China.

So the end result is, American companies are at a significant disadvantage.
 
JPack said:
It doesn't help one bit with "national security" because very few people in the U.S. use WeChat.

Outside the U.S., companies will still use WeChat to do business with China.

So the end result is, American companies are at a significant disadvantage.
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What? Lots of people use WeChat in the US. Nearly all the Chinese Americans have it. That’s how people talk to people they know back home.
 
Cosmosent said:
Those in China, OR elsewhere, who already have the app on their iPhone should be OK.

It would ONLY affect upgrades, correct ???

This "could" potentially trigger a surge in iPhone 11 sales in China, & elsewhere, starting now till the Sept 20th ? Deadline.
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"Without the ability to download updates, users of the app would become more vulnerable to security breaches and miss out on tweaks that keep it functioning smoothly, decreasing the app's utility over time."

finance.yahoo.com

WeChat is a lifeline for the Chinese diaspora. What happens now that Trump banned it?

For swaths of the U.S. with concentrated Chinese populations, WeChat is a way of life. President Trump's executive order banning the app could upend that.
finance.yahoo.com finance.yahoo.com
 
I just wish people would stop playing politics with things like this. The only people who really get punished are the regular people who use apps like WeChat and TikTok.

Having been to China I know first hand how important WeChat is just to take part in China's everyday world. Even beggars have WeChat QR codes around their necks so people can give them money using their phone. But WeChat is far more than just paying for things.

Any phone in China in the domestic market without WeChat is basically useless. Even beggars in the street have WeChat QR codes around their necks so people can give them money through their phones. Here in the West I can see many of those of Chinese descent with families still in China jailbreaking their phones, Apple or Google just to keep in touch through WeChat.

This is not a healthy situation.
 
Jyby said:
What? Lots of people use WeChat in the US. Nearly all the Chinese Americans have it. That’s how people talk to people they know back home.
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They can use QQ or iMessage.

QQ is owned by Tencent, same as WeChat.

So again, it doesn't help with "national security" one bit.
 
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