WeChat has been significantly updated with three new features. Netizens: What’s the difference between this and QQ?

WeChat upgraded again just before New Year's Day. Recently, WeChat has updated to version 7.0.20 for iOS. In the "Version History" on the WeChat App page of the iOS App Store, you can see that the last updated version number was 7.0.18, and this time it directly skipped "19" and came to the ten-digit "20", which seems to indicate that this update is a major version iteration. After I upgraded and experienced it, I found that WeChat really made a big move this time. Simply put, this update is an iteration of the functions of the "Video Account", and the "Video Account" is the current main product of WeChat, so it can be foreseen that if this update ushers in a large area of ​​positive feedback, then the direction of the short video platform may change soon.

The most important feature added in this update is "WeChat Beans", which can be viewed by clicking on the avatar nickname, viewing "Personal Information", and then the WeChat Beans content will appear. According to the official WeChat meaning of WeChat Beans, WeChat Beans are props used to pay for virtual items in WeChat, and currently support the purchase of virtual gifts in video live broadcasts. The recharge cost of WeChat Beans is 7 for 1 yuan, 126 for 18 yuan, 350 for 50 yuan, 896 for 128 yuan, 2086 for 298 yuan, and 3626 for 518 yuan. 1 WeChat Bean can be exchanged for 1 love, and 10, 50, 166, 999, 2000, and 8888 WeChat Beans can also be sent out as applause, small flowers, milk tea, calling, fireworks, and Peach Blossom Island (equivalent to RMB 1,270).

It should be noted that the WeChat beans recharged on the iOS side are not interoperable with the Android side, which means that they can only be used on WeChat on the iOS side. In addition, because Apple will take a 30% commission, while Android will not, the recharge ratio of 7 WeChat beans for 1 yuan may also be only for the iOS platform. Of course, the specific situation will not be known until the Android WeChat is updated. After actual testing, it was found that after rewarding the anchor with 7 WeChat beans (equivalent to 1 yuan), the anchor chose to withdraw cash, and the pre-tax income given by WeChat was 0.35 yuan, which is equivalent to WeChat taking another 50%.

In addition to WeChat Beans, new features for video account live broadcast include microphone connection and beauty, so far, the three-piece set of live broadcast functions has been completed. Among them, microphone connection includes video and voice. After the function was launched, Zhang Xiaolong was the first to try it out with video account blogger Achan, which shows that WeChat attaches great importance to the live broadcast sector. In addition, this update has also made some changes to the original attributes of the video account, such as the recommendation list of the video account has become a dark mode information flow, and the operation logic is exactly the same as that of a certain audio; the video account function in the "Discover" page has been singled out for separate display; there is an additional video account entrance in the personal business card; "People Nearby" has become "Live Broadcasts and People Nearby", etc.

If you have paid attention to the updates of WeChat, you should have found that almost every update this year involves the video account. Previously, the video account attracted more attention for its attempts at social distribution at the content level. In this update, the social connection ability of the video account has also been taken seriously. This connection ability is not only reflected in the connection between people, but also between people and businesses or people and enterprises. This is why "People Nearby" has become "Live Broadcasts and People Nearby".

In general, this WeChat update may be a good thing for content creators. If video accounts become popular, it will provide creators with one more choice. But it may not be a good thing for ordinary users like us. The numerous functions bring an increasingly bloated interface, which is obviously contrary to users who like WeChat's minimalism.

Do you think this update has affected the user experience?