WeChat Deepens HarmonyOS Integration and Convenience

微信鸿蒙版 App 获 8.0.17.38 尝鲜升级，灰度支持与元宝聊天等功能

WeChat’s HarmonyOS (Hongmeng) app received an 8.0.17.38 early-access update on May 17, 2026 via Huawei AppGallery, with testing running through June 16. The release log cites bug fixes, but user reports reveal new features rolling out in gray (staged) tests: enhancements to Video Accounts (profile edits, auto/manual rotation, double-tap likes, expanded live options), music features including AI songwriting and AI cover tools in “Listen”, cross-platform face-to-face photo/file QR transfers, unified QR code display options, and staged features like chatting with a virtual "元宝" and quicker friend-remark autofill during verification. The HarmonyOS WeChat client has over 55 million installs and continues platform-specific adaptations and feature parity with Android/iOS.

Tencent’s WeChat team donated the app’s original first line of code and early development hardware to the China Computer Federation’s Computer Museum (CCM) on May 15, 2026. The donation includes the original code archive, key development machines (iMac ME086CH 21-inch, Dell tower workstation), early test devices (iPod Touch 3, Nokia 5800XM, N73, E72i), UI screenshots from versions 1.0–8.0, and cultural peripherals like red packet cushions and emoji toys. CCM said the collection documents WeChat’s development from 0 to 1 and will help illustrate China’s mobile internet evolution; the museum aims to open in September 2026. The artifacts will be displayed in the “Mobile Computing and Terminals” hall.

NVIDIA hit a historic market cap milestone, briefly topping $5.5 trillion and surpassing Germany’s GDP, underscoring AI chipmaker dominance in global markets. Tencent revealed WeChat has allocated about 800 engineers to adapt the app for Huawei’s HarmonyOS, signaling major Chinese platform support for domestic OS development. OpenAI competitor dynamics shifted as ChatGPT’s web traffic share fell from 77.6% to 53.7% while Google Gemini rose to 26.7%, reflecting intensifying competition in generative AI. Hardware and automotive news: Xiaomi teased the YU7 GT and Xiaomi Xuntian N90 spied in test shots; multiple Chinese automakers announced new models and Europe-focused releases. Several consumer device and software updates (Xiaomi 17 Max, iPhone panel issues, Tesla FSD factory runs) also featured.

消息称华为 HarmonyOS NEXT 最高峰投入约 4 万人，比安卓 / iOS / Windows 任何一个大版本都要多

以实际行动支持国产系统发展：腾讯蔡光忠透露微信成立了 800 人团队适配鸿蒙，约占开发人员一半

Tencent VP Cai Guangzhong said at a Shenzhen software investment forum that WeChat has formed an 800‑person team—roughly half of its client developers—dedicated to adapting the app for Huawei's HarmonyOS. Tencent is accelerating HarmonyOS support with a cadence of monthly major releases and weekly minor updates; WeChat has rolled out 21 major and more than 199 minor HarmonyOS builds so far. The report notes the WeChat HarmonyOS app recently updated to version 8.0.17.36 and that Huawei said over 60 million devices now support HarmonyOS 6. Tencent frames the investment as concrete support for domestic OS development and continued feature expansion via frequent updates.

Tencent's AI assistant Yuanbao now supports one-click summarization of WeChat group chats: users can select group chat messages, forward them to other apps, choose Yuanbao and paste the content to get an automated summary. Yuanbao can also convert expense receipts into tables and use chat histories to create personalized travel plans. The feature integrates Yuanbao into common workflows for faster information extraction and administrative tasks within China's dominant messaging platform, potentially boosting productivity and driving further adoption of conversational AI in everyday consumer apps.

An item titled “Screenshots of Old Desktop OSes” appears to present images of legacy desktop operating systems, but no article body or additional context is available. Based on the title alone, the content likely consists of screenshot galleries or examples of historical PC operating system interfaces (such as early versions of Windows, classic Mac OS, or Unix/Linux desktops). If so, it would matter mainly as a visual reference for software history, UI evolution, and nostalgia-driven comparisons with modern desktop environments. No publisher, author, date, specific operating systems, or number of screenshots are provided, so details about scope, sources, licensing, or technical commentary cannot be confirmed from the available information.

Tencent public affairs director Zhang Jun announced that two contentious features—message read receipts and visitor/profile-visitor records—are permanently shelved and will not be developed or provided. The comment followed user concern after a limited test that showed anonymous view counts for WeChat Status, which Tencent has halted. A WeChat employee confirmed the platform does not offer per-user visitor logs and that the Status view-count and avatar-bubble interaction tests have stopped. Zhang framed the misinterpretation of the small-scale test as Tencent's responsibility and reiterated the company's decision to abandon the two features.

Tencent’s head of public relations Zhang Jun confirmed on Weibo that WeChat will not develop or provide a “visitor” feature or a read-receipt–style visitor-tracking function. Zhang said a small-scale test that showed anonymous view counts for status updates was misunderstood and has been stopped. He reiterated that both a granular read/seen feature and any visitor-identification capability are permanently off the roadmap. The clarification matters because user privacy and social-graph visibility have been sensitive issues for messaging platforms; Tencent’s statement signals a conservative stance on features that could surface who viewed profiles or statuses, shaping product trust and regulatory perception in China and among global users.

WeChat is conducting a limited iOS A/B test of a new “show footprints” status feature in recent internal builds (e.g., 8.0.73), sparking social-media debate about potential visitor-tracking. Tencent customer service clarified the test is small-scale, iOS-only, and does not include a one-way visitor query list or a broader “view visitors” feature; the design aims for mutual visibility and privacy protection. The feature appears to let users see visual cues (avatars) and access others’ status posts to encourage reciprocal interaction rather than provide explicit visitor logs. Tencent says display details and any wider rollout remain undecided and will evolve based on feedback.

Weibo posts claiming a "WeChat Status visitor list" feature trended on May 11 after users shared screenshots suggesting status views and avatars were visible. IT Home asked Tencent customer service, which replied the visitor-list feature has not been launched and that WeChat will continue optimizing features. The viral posts said the behavior looked like an internal test (iPhone client v8.0.73), showing unique viewers rather than view counts and only revealing avatars for users who both viewed and posted statuses; earlier statuses reportedly show viewer counts but with questionable accuracy. The episode highlights user demand for visibility features and the risks of premature leaks or misinterpretation during app testing.

WeChat's HarmonyOS version has fully returned to Huawei's HiCar in-vehicle platform, now supporting more screen sizes and aspect ratios. Initially launched around March with limited compatibility on some HiCar devices, recent tests show the app can now start and run core features—chat, Moments, and Mini Programs—on edge-case displays such as the Huawei Smart Car Screen (Antelope-WB10); QR code payments remain unsupported. On third-party vehicles using HUAWEI HiCar the app appears with a "try" label in the app list. The broader HiCar compatibility matters because it restores WeChat functionality for drivers across a wider range of HarmonyOS-based car displays, improving in-car connectivity and the ecosystem value of Huawei's HiCar and HarmonyOS platforms.

WeChat is testing a new “combined payment” feature on iOS, Android and HarmonyOS that lets users split a single friend-to-friend transfer across two payment sources (for example, WeChat Balance + bank card). In the transfer UI users tap Change → Payment Method → Combined Payment and can select and set specific amounts for up to two channels; refunds follow the original split. Tencent says the feature is currently limited to the transfer cashier flow, excludes red envelopes and merchant payments, and is rolling out via small-scale gray release. The change removes the need to withdraw or make multiple transfers when balance is short, improving convenience for everyday P2P payments.

Tencent’s WeChat Input Method has released Windows 2.0.0 and iOS 3.3.0 on May 9, 2026, adding a new “Air Transfer” feature for fast file sharing. According to IT Home, the function—previously available in an early test at the start of May—is now officially launched. Air Transfer supports sending photos, videos, and other files across a user’s linked devices, and also enables face-to-face transfers to other people by establishing a connection via QR code. The article notes that transfers can be completed without using mobile data traffic, positioning the feature as a convenient cross-device and nearby sharing option within the WeChat Input Method ecosystem.