24 hours using no apps but WeChat

We’ve written quite a bit about the wide variety of features crammed within WeChat, the hugely popular Chinese messaging app created by Tencent. It can do everything from hail a taxi to buy a cup of coffee.

But you still need other apps too, right?

Maybe not. To see just how far WeChat’s suite of features can reach, I tried to do all of my daily cellular fiddlings entirely within the app. That meant no Facebook, no Uber, no web browser, not even my phone’s alarm app. Could it be done?

The morning grind

I suspect I’m not alone in having this morning ritual: wake up to my my phone alarm and then – while still laying in bed, of course – check the weather forecast and read a bit of news and social media. Here, WeChat had me covered.

WeChat doesn’t have a built-in alarm clock, but an account titled @语音提醒 does the trick. Just send a voice message (in Chinese) to the account, and it automatically sets an alarm – be it a quick timer or “tomorrow morning at 7 am.”

A search of WeChat accounts related to weather reveals a huge list of potentials, narrowed down by city. I chose a Shanghai service, and within a few seconds was checking out the day’s forecast.

News is even easier. WeChat-based news accounts have become very common in China and other countries where the app is starting to grow its footprint. Even Buzzfeed has jumped aboard. While it’s not that popular in China, it is hoping to expand into India – and so is WeChat.

Without leaving the app, I switch from weather to a video of Americans watching Russian cartoons for the first time. It does not disappoint. More serious news services have taken to WeChat as well, but this early in the morning, I’m content with Russian cartoons.

WeChat Moments is very familiar to anyone who has seen a Facebook feed.

Social networking is a bit more complicated. WeChat has its own built-in service called Moments, which is easily recognizable to anyone who has seen a Facebook feed – little friend avatars posting links/text/videos/pictures, with the option to like or comment. It’s familiar territory, but there’s nothing wrong with that.

So you may still need the outside apps specific to your social network of choice – but Moments is a fair substitute if your friends have embraced WeChat.

Out and about

With the morning routine out of the way, it’s time to get my day on. This morning, I’m meeting a friend for breakfast.

To hail a ride, I open up Didi Kuaidi, which is China’s top transport app. Thanks to the fact that Tencent is a partial owner of Didi Kuaidi, the service is integrated within WeChat. A nearby driver gets a ping that I’m looking for a ride, and within a few moments he has arrived at my door.

Snack time

Some afternoon spending

WeChat even offers savings accounts, so that money sitting in Wallet doesn’t go to waste. And the interest rates aren’t bad – I check out an account that boasts 3.7 percent interest. While most banking apps just let you check your balance and maybe deposit a check or transfer some funds, I can open up a new savings account entirely within this window of the chat app.

Embracing fewer icons

It makes me realize that, despite the large amount of time I spend staring at its small glass surface, I don’t actually do that many different things on my phone. Nine out of ten times I pull the device from my pocket, it’s probably to check social media or other forms of communication, and read some news. The tenth time, it’s to hail a ride, buy something online, see my fitness stats, or pay for something. I could delete most of the apps on my phone, as long as I kept WeChat. By the end, my homescreen would have the WeChat icon, the phone app, and a smattering of services that aren’t available in China – and therefore largely ignored by WeChat – like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.