WeChat Deepens HarmonyOS Support and Convenience Features

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.

微信未读语音消息由红变灰被吐槽，腾讯客服回应称 iOS 端逐步开放

微信 iOS 版 8.0.73 最新官方正式版下载发布

微信鸿蒙版 App 灰度上线消息通知显示联系人头像功能

WeChat’s HarmonyOS (鸿蒙) app has begun a staged rollout of a notification enhancement in version 8.0.17.36: incoming message notifications can now show the sender’s avatar alongside the chat or group name. The feature is controlled by a new “show avatar” toggle under Settings → Notifications → Notification display content. The update’s public changelog only listed generic bug fixes, but IT Home verified the new notification avatar capability. This matters because it leverages HarmonyOS notification UI capabilities to improve message context and could signal tighter integration between app-level features and OS notification frameworks, affecting user experience on Huawei devices.

微信鸿蒙版 App 8.0.17.36 正式版更新发布

Tencent released WeChat HarmonyOS edition 8.0.17.36 (build 8392996) with a brief official log “fixed some known issues.” The update, for Huawei’s HarmonyOS, brings multiple user-facing features: editable Video Account profiles, new Video Account registration and auto/manual rotation for video playback, double-tap like, expanded livestream options, and improved image quoting navigation. Audio features include sharing songs to status, opening tracks in QQ Music, and new AI-backed “song creation” and “music space” (likely gray-release). Other additions: membership cards in Wallet, quick access to “my QR code,” scan-based cross-platform file transfer, voice-to-text shortcut in chat, and selectable transfer deposit channels. The HarmonyOS WeChat app has 53.69 million installs, marking continued platform parity and feature rollout on Huawei devices.