Jiepang Makes a New Friend, Can Now Share Check-Ins to WeChat

Next update to the Jiepang app will add support for sharing to the messaging app WeChat.

Jiepang, one of China’s biggest check-in social networks, has a new buddy in the form of Tencent (HKG:0700), the country’s social media giant. Now, Jiepang users can opt to do third-party login or signup using their Tencent QQ accounts – and that also means they can share their check-ins with friends on WeChat (or Weixin in Chinese), the group messaging app that has over 100 million users.

The Tencent integration is now live on the Jiepang.com homepage, but the WeChat sharing will have to wait until v3.4.2 of the Jiepang app for iPhone hits the iTunes App Store, which it hasn’t done yet. (It’s in the current version only for those in the simplified Chinese version of the iOS app). But it’s due later today or tomorrow. It means that a check-in on Weibo can be beamed to a certain friend in just a couple of clicks, perhaps to prompt that buddy to drop in, or as a gentle reminder that he or she is running late. The Android app version will get this support soon.

Other Tencent social media included in the sharing fun include QQZone (the expanded profile pages that are attached to the QQ IM service), Tencent’s Weibo microblog, and Pengyou.com, its Facebook-like community.

The updated Jiepang app for iOS also adds a “moment” feature for sharing what you’re feeling at a particular venue live-stream info about who’s checking in (already in the Android app), and a newly-added “what’s nearby” function that will presumably challenge both Google and Baidu as a source for finding cool stuff in your area.

Jiepang – a frequent collaborator with the likes of Nokia to promote NFC usage, and with Starbucks to get users to hook-up and interact – already supports third-party login with Sina Weibo or Renren.

Look out for the refreshed v.3.4.2 of the Jiepang app, which will hit iTunes soon.

[UPDATED on June 22nd: Change the description of one of the features].