Microsoft Is Planning a Super App Just Like WeChat In China

Microsoft is always looking for new ways to expand its product portfolio. Recently, the idea of ​​a kind of “super app” is said to have been considered, such as that used in China with WeChat. It is unclear whether the Redmond company will pull through with the project.

As the magazine The Information claims to have learned from sources close to Microsoft, the software company is flirting with the concept of a “super app”. This refers to apps that combine a huge number of functions under one roof.

Shopping, News, Search Messaging & more in One app

In the case of Microsoft, it is said to be an app that would offer chat and messaging, shopping, web search, messages, and various other functions in a combined package. The inspiration for this comes from the Chinese app WeChat, which also integrates weather, payment processing, and even official services.

WeChat has long been the realization of a feverish dream in terms of app development, not only for Microsoft, as many Chinese use this app to carry out a large part of their daily online tasks. For the manufacturer Tencent, WeChat has the advantage, among other things, that users hardly ever use any other apps and therefore earn money from them alone, be it through advertising or paid functions.

Whether and to what extent a “super app” like WeChat can be implemented in Western countries such as the USA or Europe is of course questionable. Among other things, this approach also has the disadvantage of a strong monopoly formation and, especially in China, extensive censorship of the content available via it.

Microsoft recently brought on board, among other things, a former manager of the US ride-hailing service provider Uber, who heads the consumer business with software and apps for various platforms. With a “super app”, the group could, among other things, its messaging platform Teams, the search engine Bing and various other offers bundle in order to generate more income. In addition, a counterbalance to the dominance of Apple and Google as operators of the largest app stores for mobile devices could be created.