WeChat has announced that users can now make international mobile and landline calls using the app. The service, called WeChat Out, will be available to users in the U.S., India and Hong Kong.
"To ring in the New Year, we've launched WeChat Out, a new WeChat feature that helps you make calls to mobile and landline phone numbers around the world," said WeChat. "WeChat Out not only provides excellent call quality, but also offers super-low calling rates. With WeChat Out, you can call at any time and anywhere."
The company has also confirmed that the international calls service will also be extended to other countries soon.
Several other messaging apps also allow international calls but WeChat Out is different as it allows users to make calls to actual phone numbers rather than just to other WeChat users.
WeChat has also announced that to get things started, the messaging app is offering a free calling credit of $0.99, which can allow up to 100 minutes of international calls. WeChat has not revealed the calling costs from one region to another but existing customers can check this information in the app.
Using the WeChat Out feature is simple and easy. Existing WeChat users will find WeChat Out as a new option in the expandable menu after pressing the '+' symbol at the top right corner of the home screen.
Users can then select the mobile contact saved on the phone to make a call or tap in a new number using the dial pad. WeChat claims that users will experience excellent call quality with the new WeChat Out feature.
For those on a mobile plan, topping up the account balance will require a valid credit or debit card. Users can select top-up amounts of $0.99, $1.99, $2.99, $4.99 and more to suit their personal needs.
Developed by Tencent and released in 2011, WeChat has become one of the biggest standalone messaging apps in the world by monthly active users (MAU). During its Q3 earnings call in November 2015, Tencent announced that WeChat and Weixin, the Chinese version of the messaging service, had more than 650 million MAUs, which highlights the customer base of the company. Tencent did not provide a breakdown of users based on geographic location but the majority of its customers are based in China.
WeChat hopes that the new international call feature may attract more users to download and use the app. However, making international calls from a messaging app is not new. Skype and Line have also been offering similar services to their customers since 2014.
The WeChat app is available for free from the App Store and Google Play Store. The compatibility of the app with the Android operating system varies from device to device. iOS running devices should have iOS 7.2 or later to run the WeChat app.
