What Would a WeChat Replacement Need? • Hacker News Board

Definitely. Literally half of the features in the "What do we want?" section would get his replacement banned in the PRC, which is one of the few markets where WeChat is popular enough to even be something to replace.

Re: What Would a WeChat Replacement Need?

#14

Post by m11a » Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 3:26 PM UTC

I think people that feel WeChat is simply a social network don't understand WeChat. Though the article doesn't say this, the comments here and popular opinion generally think that.

From my time visiting China I'm not sure it's possible to live, in the urban areas, without WeChat. Payments are basically all through WeChat; I found places that didn't take Visa/Mastercard (or even know what those were, although that may have just been my pronunciation).

So the answer to this article is simple:

- For China: CCP approval

- For America/Europe: WeChat would never happen, unless there was severe monopolisation that allowed a company to roll something like WeChat out successfully, or the federal government / national governments mandated it

The article discusses how a WeChat replacement may be done using blockchain, not what a WeChat replacement needs to be successful (as the title would imply), or what may be the most technically viable way of doing it.

Re: What Would a WeChat Replacement Need?

#15

Post by mcelhinney » Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 3:36 PM UTC

m11a wrote: post #14

I think people that feel WeChat is simply a social network don't understand WeChat. Though the article doesn't say this, the comments here and popular opinion generally think that. From my time visiting China I'm not sure it's possible to live, in the urban areas, without WeChat. Payments are basically all through WeChat; I found places that didn't take Visa/Mastercard (or even know what those were, although that may…

Just to add that most Chinese businesses accept payments through AliPay along with WeChat.

Re: What Would a WeChat Replacement Need?

#16

Post by timwaagh » Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 3:40 PM UTC

I would be interested in a we hat replacement, but as soon as I read ethereum I thought: nah. Cryptocurrencies are just not compatible with mainstream consumption. Why? Because I get paid in euros. And you might get paid in dollars. And a wechat user gets paid in Yuan. But nobody gets paid in ethereum.

Re: What Would a WeChat Replacement Need?

#17

Post by naringas » Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 3:44 PM UTC

pwinnski wrote: post #9

It would need to be introduced in a single large city in 2011 and spread from there with the implicit backing of the federal government. It would not need a blockchain. There is no reason whatsoever for basing this on a blockchain.

But then we have to trust our government...

and governments vary in their trustworthiness

Re: What Would a WeChat Replacement Need?

#18

Post by krak12 » Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 3:46 PM UTC

[dead]

Re: What Would a WeChat Replacement Need?

#19

Post by krcz » Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 3:47 PM UTC

foenix wrote: post #8

krcz wrote: post #5

Telegram was on a good path to become WeChat replacement, with its Telegram Open Network blockchain an Gram cryptocurrency coming and plans to add wide range of services including decentralized storage, web pages and payment channels. But now it looks that part has been killed by SEC, so the niche is still unoccupied.

Do you have more info about being killed by the SEC? I'm curious about this because I was looking forward to a Western Competitor to WeChat.

Sure:

* TON blog: https://ton-telegram.net/news/telegram-and-sec-asked-to-spee...

* nice summary of how US securities law affected TON (from October 2019): https://davidgerard.co.uk/blockchain/2019/10/13/sec-blocks-t...

* verdict in the case: https://www.reuters.com/article/legal-us-otc-telegram/sec-wi...

Some investors are considering launching independent blockchain based on open-sourced TON technology. But even if they do, it's not clear when is Telegram going to integrate wallet with their app, if ever.

Re: What Would a WeChat Replacement Need?

#20

Post by ausjke » Fri, Apr 17, 2020, 3:52 PM UTC

LINE, whatsapp etc are catching up wechat.

Instead of cloning wechat, an alternative would be developing a proxy between IM apps, i.e. all wechat messages can be forwarded to whatsapp so it become part of whatsapp, well, kind of, it's painful to use whatsapp, LINE, telegram, wechat at the same time, need something to "unite" them so we can go to one place and do it all.