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szdaily -> Markets -> 
Tencent rebrands WeChat work app
    2020-09-21  08:53    Shenzhen Daily

SHENZHEN-BASED tech giant Tencent Holdings has changed the name of its WeChat Work office collaboration app to WeCom, setting it up as a potential alternative to its messaging app WeChat ahead of a U.S. ban.

Tencent, registered the WeCom trademark Aug. 19, according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Two Tencent sources said WeCom does not fall under the scope of a ban on WeChat-related transactions in the United States from Sept. 20, one of a series of U.S. measures cracking down on Chinese tech firms and apps that the Trump administration says are threats to “national security.”

Tencent declined to comment.

WeChat is an all-in-one mobile app that combines messaging, social media, payment functions and other services. Its so-called super app is all but essential for daily life in China and boasts more than a billion users.

In the United States, WeChat is widely used by Chinese expats and others to communicate with friends and associates in China. It has an average of 19 million daily active users in the United States, according to analytics firm Apptopia.

After downloading WeCom, users can now link their WeChat account to it and add their WeChat contacts. WeCom users can then message, create chat groups, and even receive virtual money from WeChat friends without their WeChat contacts having to download WeCom.

There was no indication that Tencent has actively promoted WeCom in the United States. There has also been no surge in downloads of WeCom in recent weeks, according to Sensor Tower.

On Thursday, the U.S. Justice Department said U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross did not plan to target persons or groups who only download or use WeChat to convey personal or business information.

Tencent staff in the United States have historically used WeChat Work to communicate with the company’s headquarters in Shenzhen. Tencent has at least 250 U.S.-based employees.

Trump’s Aug. 6 announcement of the ban on transactions related to WeChat caused a spike in downloads of WeChat and alternative apps by U.S. residents. A group of WeChat users has also sued to block the ban. (SD-Agencies)

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