A WeChat Ban Could Spell Bad News For Apple

In addition to banning TikTok, the US government has also recently announced that they would be banning WeChat. This is according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump that effectively bans US individuals or companies from doing business with these particular apps.

We imagine that this would no doubt have a negative impact on users and Tencent, the company who owns WeChat, but it also seems that it might have a negative effect on US companies like Apple as well. This is because it has been suggested that the ban of WeChat, which would force Apple to remove the app from its App Store, could result in fewer iPhone sales.

This is according to a survey conducted by a Chinese finance media outlet where based on the results of its survey, it seems that 678,000 Chinese users would buy a different phone if WeChat is no longer available on iOS. This is versus the 38,600 users who said that they would simply uninstall the app.

WeChat is a big deal over in China and various parts of Asia. This is because of how multifaceted the app is, where it not only acts as a way for users to chat, but it can make voice and video calls, make purchases, as well as send and receive money. Over in China, the app is also extremely crucial where many rely on it to make bill payments, purchase train tickets, and so on, which means that losing WeChat would cause a huge disruption in the daily lives of many users.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Cellphones
Tags: Apps, China, iOS, wechat