Tencent Rebrands WeChat Work App to WeCom Forward of Trump Ban

Chinese language tech large Tencent has modified the title of its WeChat Work workplace collaboration app to WeCom, setting it up as a possible different to its messaging app WeChat forward of a US ban.

Tencent, registered the WeCom trademark on August 19, in accordance with the US Patent and Trademark Workplace.

Two Tencent sources mentioned WeCom doesn’t fall underneath the scope of a ban on WeChat-related transactions in the United States from September 20, one among a sequence of US measures cracking down on Chinese language tech corporations and apps that Washington says are threats to nationwide safety.

Tencent declined to remark.

WeChat is an all-in-one cell app that mixes messaging, social media, cost features and different providers. Its so-called tremendous app is all however important for each day life in China and boasts greater than a billion customers.

In the US, WeChat is broadly utilized by Chinese language expats and others to speak with associates and associates in China. It has a mean of 19 million each day energetic customers in the US, in accordance with analytics agency Apptopia.

After downloading WeCom, customers can now hyperlink their WeChat account to it and add their WeChat contacts, a Reuters take a look at confirmed. WeCom customers can then message, create discussion groups, and even obtain digital cash from WeChat associates with out their WeChat contacts having to obtain WeCom.

There was no indication that Tencent has actively promoted WeCom in the US. There has additionally been no surge in downloads of WeCom in current weeks, in accordance with Sensor Tower.

WeCom workaround

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is ready to launch laws by Sunday clarifying which WeChat transactions can be prohibited underneath President Donald Trump’s executive order.

On Thursday, the US Justice Division mentioned Ross didn’t plan to focus on individuals or teams who solely obtain or use WeChat to convey private or enterprise info.

Tencent employees in the US have traditionally used WeChat Work to speak with the corporate’s headquarters in Shenzhen. Tencent has at the least 250 US-based workers.

Trump’s August 6 announcement of the ban on transactions associated to WeChat triggered a spike in downloads of WeChat and different apps by US residents. A bunch of WeChat customers has additionally sued to block the ban.

The WeCom cell app has been gaining recognition in China, the place downloads within the first a part of September rose 74 p.c from about 690,000 through the first 16 days of August. Downloads have been 158 p.c larger than the identical interval a 12 months in the past.

However the app has gained little traction in the US. New US installs up to now in September stand at about three,000, unchanged from the identical interval in August and up from 1,000 through the first a part of September final 12 months.

Nina Wei, a Chinese language entrepreneur in Seattle, mentioned she used WeCom largely to attach with enterprise contacts in China however hadn’t used it a lot just lately as a lot of tasks had fallen aside amid deteriorating Sino-US relations.

She was unaware that WeCom was a possible workaround.

“I have not related my WeCom to my WeChat but as I hoped to maintain my work life and personal life separate.”

© Thomson Reuters 2020

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