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messaging

WeChat · 微信

China’s main app: a messenger, the WeChat Pay wallet and hundreds of mini-programs — from taxis to doctor’s appointments. You can’t really do without it.

WeChat
Language
English available
Phone number
a foreign one works
Payment
Visa, Mastercard

What WeChat is for

In China WeChat is WhatsApp, a banking app and a government portal at once. You message drivers, landlords and suppliers in it, pay in shops and at markets with it, and order food and taxis through it.

Nobody asks for a business card — they ask to scan your WeChat QR code. Without the app the contact often simply never happens.

What people use it for most

  1. Messages and calls

    Chats, voice notes, video calls and group chats — work ones included.

  2. WeChat Pay

    QR payments in shops, cafés, taxis and markets. A foreign card can be linked right in the app.

  3. Mini-programs

    DiDi taxis, delivery, tickets, restaurant menus via QR — all open inside WeChat with nothing else to install.

How to install

Download WeChat

Install the app only from the official store or the developer’s website.

  1. Download it before your trip

    The store works from China too, but registering is easier at home while your usual number works and SMS arrive.

  2. Switch to English

    The language follows your phone settings. If it opens in Chinese: 我 → 设置 → 通用 → 多语言.

Registration

  1. Phone number

    Tap Sign Up, pick the country code and enter your number. Any number that receives SMS will do.

  2. Security check

    The app will ask you to solve a slider puzzle or confirm the number with an SMS code.

  3. Verification by another user

    New accounts are often asked to be confirmed by a friend who has had WeChat for over six months: they scan your QR code in their app. Line someone up in advance — or message us and we’ll help.

How to set up WeChat Pay

  1. Open the wallet

    Me → Services → Wallet → Cards → Add a Card.

  2. Link a card

    Visa, Mastercard, JCB and other international cards work. Cards issued by Russian banks usually fail — you’ll need a card from a foreign bank or UnionPay.

  3. Verify your identity

    The app asks for your name as in the passport, the passport number and expiry date. They must match the card letter for letter.

How to use it

  1. Pay in a shop

    + → Scan — point the camera at the seller’s QR code and enter the amount. Or open Money and show your code to the cashier.

  2. Add a contact

    + → Add Contacts → My QR Code. That is what you show when you meet someone.

  3. Translate a message

    Long-press a message → Translate. Works for Chinese and for voice notes (Convert to Text first).

If it won’t work

No SMS — check roaming and try a voice call instead of SMS. Card declined — make sure the bank allows payments abroad and online transactions.

Account blocked right after signup — this happens if you add many contacts at once or log in from several devices. Unblocking is via a link in the app, usually with a friend’s confirmation.

Tip

Link the card and test a payment before you fly: it is easier to call your bank from home if anti-fraud blocks the charge.

In-depth guide on the topic

photo: a messenger conversation on a phone
4 min

Connectivity

How to set up WeChat

Registration with a vouch, and why it is better done in advance.

Open the guide

Didn’t find the guide you needed?

Describe it in your own words — a concierge will reply and take you through it step by step.