As you may have figured out by now (through the constant updates on my site), I've been really busy these past few weeks. Not complaining though, because I really find fun in that. From international music festivals, restaurant reviews and new shopping destinations that I've been writing about, the new WeChat 5.2 update (available for Android and iOS) really made things easier to communicate with my friends even when I'm out of town. Plus, they revved up the the app's menu with new features so it'll be easier to organize, send messages and make your day a tad easy.
The Menu Bar
Simple, ergonomically made options on the menu makes WeChat 5.2 perfect for a person on the go. It was intended and designed to fit the habits of regular smartphone users. The white minimalistic interface makes WeChat 5.2 very clean looking. You basically have three working sections other than your own profile. There's CHATS which contains your message exchanges, DISCOVER which contains moments, your QR Code and a place to scan one, the Shake feature, people nearby and games. Then there's the part for CONTACTS where your friends/connections are listed. It's almost the same in Android.
The Friend Radar
I regularly cover events and business conferences. In a nutshell, I meet a lot of people. There's a new feature called Friend Radar on WeChat 5.2 which can identify users in your immediate vicinity. It'll also give you options to add individuals to your contacts with a single tap of their photo. I really felt like James Bond when it started to scan. It had that sonar like sound when it did that part.
Now, there's no more fuss of finding calling cards, or finding a pen or paper to give your numbers to them. Definitely NOT old school. The Friend Radar can be accessed by going to Contacts > Add Contacts then clicking on the option for Friend Radar. It's fast, efficient and free. Pretty soon, no tree would be cut down to produce your business cards. Paperless baby!
Real Time Location Sharing
When I was covering the an International Music Festival a few weeks ago in Pampanga, I had problems getting in touch with my friends because I had to go back and forth to the media tent to live blog. Aside from the fact that the place was huge, there were thousands of people who attended that event. WeChat 5.2 has Real Time Location Sharing making it possible to share locations through the app. You'll see where your friends are in no time!
It's got the other features you can also use while on a chat. My friends are really lazy sometimes that we often use the Walkie Talkie. It was all audio pretty much the whole time. Quite convenient.
The Group Chat Photo Album
If you're like me who often chats with friends (sometimes in secrecy LOL) we also have times where we have to share photos to remember some of the most incriminating events in our lives. One place to do that is the Group Chat Photo Album feature in WeChat 5.2!
Photos will be shared to everyone in the group chat - and organized automatically by date (good for OC's like me). It can be simply done by pressing the Photo Album Icon while you're there. It's like looking at those silly moments you had with them, then you just laugh about it afterwards. Memories will definitely come crashing back to you, it's that neat!
The Universal Search
Now I know there are certain people here who are engaged in multiple groups and chat sessions with their friends. Sometimes the CHATS section of the app usually gets filled up with a multitude of saved special messages, important dates or names you don't want to clean up. There's now a way to search for it on the app. Just type in the name of the contact and it'll pop up there as a search result. You can always start where you left off, no need to remind you of what you last talked about.
The Customization of the Contact List
Since I've already been dipping my hand going to huge events and conferences, it would be normal for my contacts to swell in no time. A little convenience would be that WeChat 5.2 can now let me add photos, home/business addresses and important items to my friends profiles. If you are like me who always have friends of the same name, you can now edit and personalize your contacts. It'll be up to you on how you would be able to identify/tell them apart. That's a level up their alley, which I'd be glad to say "thank you" for!
Aside from these great features, they've enhanced some of the app's original functions. You can expect more animated stickers on the Sticker Shop to make your WeChat 5.2 capture your exact mood at any given time of the day. You will also get Group Chat Mention Notifications when your name gets said on a Group Chat. They have also improved and boosted the quality for Video and Audio Chats, so our Walkie Talkie talks would be clearer and better! (now that's great news!). They have also added LinkedIn on WeChat and that will get your professional circle get even a lot bigger! WeChat 5.2's improvements and new features would make your dull day a brighter one from any standard.
Download the app and experience the new features that will make you love WeChat all over again. If you don't have it on your phone, find out why over 300 million users signed up for WeChat. It's the hottest new chat platform for Apple, Android, Windows Phone, BlackBerry and Nokia Symbian smart phones.
Add @kumagcow (my WeChat ID) and don't forget to say hi! Let's connect!
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