A member of the development team for Weixin, Shenzhen-based internet company Tencent's (0700.HK) Kik-clone mobile instant messaging application, said that with the upcoming release of version 4.0 of the client, Weixin's English name will be officially changed to "Wechat." Tencent will add some new features targeting overseas users, though further details on the new features are currently unavailable. The first English edition of Weixin was released in October 2011 with support for mobile SMS account registration in more than 100 overseas countries and regions. The website http://wechat.me provides an overview of the service.

The Chinese and English editions of Weixin currently offer nearly identical functionality, with one difference: as domestic Weixin users are largely also users of Tencent's QQ service, Weixin can also be used through a QQ plugin once users link their Weixin and QQ accounts - while for overseas markets, Tencent has designed a Facebook app plugin offering similar functionality.

Source:marbridgeconsulting