In brief: WeChat to get voice assistant

Tencent will soon introduce a Siri-like digital assistant for WeChat, helping the messaging service’s billion-plus users with simple tasks such as playing music and hailing a ride.

Source: Bloomberg

Tencent announced the move today at its annual WeChat Conference, though it didn’t give a date for the rollout.

Dubbed Xiaowei, the assistant was initially launched in mid-2017 for use in web-connected home gadgets. It directs enquiries to a range of Tencent services, such as QQ Music, and with partner sites (in which Tencent has invested) such as Meituan and Didi Chuxing.