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Add to SafariWhen comparing WeChat vs Slingshot, the Slant community recommends Slingshot for most people. In the question“What are the best messaging apps for Android?” Slingshot is ranked 43rd while WeChat is ranked 44th. The most important reason people chose Slingshot is:
Requiring users to first share a photo or video before they can view photos and videos from others makes it more likely that the other person will respond.
Specs
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Friends can be added by scanning a QR code
WeChat generates a QR code for each user that other can be scanned to add them as a friend.
Pro Can be used as a Walkie Talkie
WeChat has push-to-talk functionality that can be used both one-on-one and in groups.
Pro Large collection of animated stickers
Pro Easy to send voice messages
Users can record a voice message from within the app to then send it to a recipient, who can then play the message from within the app. It is all self contained.
Pro Enables meeting new people
WeChat has a feature that pairs random people for a conversation. It is activated by shaking the phone (requires location sharing to be enabled) and will present a list of people who are doing the same and how far away from you they are.
Another feature for meeting new people is the Friend Radar that will display people in your vicinity that can then be added to your contacts list.
Finally, there is the People Nearby feature which allows you to send and receive greetings from people in your vicinity.
Pro Moments social network is seamlessly incorporated
Pro Flexible creation of chat groups
You can create chat groups for up to 500 people.
Pro Filters for photos
WeChat includes a collections of filters that can be applied to photos to change how they look.
Pro Send to receive nudges users to interact
Requiring users to first share a photo or video before they can view photos and videos from others makes it more likely that the other person will respond.
Pro One tap photo and video sharing
The first thing that the app presents the user with is the camera enabled and ready to take photos and videos. Photos and videos can have text written on them in white letters or drawn on with various colors and brush sizes.
Cons
Con Notifications get muted after inactivity
New message notifications stop getting pushed if the application isn't opened for some extended period of time (seems to be around a week or so)
Con WeChat complies with China's requirements to hand over data
Con Conversations and chat groups aren't ported to new devices
Messages are stored on each device, so shifting to a new device means losing all the previous conversations, as well as an inability to post in previous chat groups until someone else posts there and you're alerted of a new message.
Con User base outside of China is comparatively small
While WeChat has over 400 million users the majority of them are in China. Adoption in other markets has been slow.
Con Send to receive is unintuitive
Requiring users to first share a photo or video before they can view photos and videos from others can often feel frustrating.
