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A comment on Super apps are proliferating across emerging markets.

Re:Super apps are proliferating across emerging markets by ryandrake on Saturday September 17, 2022 @12:35PM (#32878831)
The article (and the embedded NYT video) seem to imply that WeChat is not just a dominant app, but is pretty much the only way to do things in China. For example the quote, "try and pay with cash for lunch, and you’ll look like a luddite."

So, what if you cannot use WeChat? Or if you're banned by their AI (which happens all the time with western apps)? Or if you simply choose not to? There must be other ways to book rides, hire services, pay people, chat, E-mail, and so on.. I (in the West) opt out of using Facebook+all FB properties, Twitter, Google, and so on, and I still have the full ability to live as a normal person. Surely China has cash and the ability to book things over the phone...?

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Re:Super apps are proliferating across emerging markets by nomay on Saturday September 17, 2022 @02:18PM (#32879858)
COVID measures made WeChat a must have for anyone except toddlers, since you need to show your green COVID qr code to enter public spaces, and almost any Chinese had done one if not daily obligatory mass testing, in which various WeChat applets are required.

You can live perfectly fine without it before, buy you simply can't legally live in China without a working, updated and ready-to-open WeChat now, since last year.

The CCP also did their whole national census on a WeChat applet, it's the defacto governing tool.

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