Messaging platform WeChat has announced that it has reached 549 million monthly active users (MAUs) globally, having added 49 million users in three months.
The milestone follows WhatsApp announcing in April that it has more than 800 million monthly active users.
In Singapore, WeChat pointed to a 2014 study by GlobalWebIndex (GWI) that pegged WeChat’s active user base in Singapore as having grown by 499% within 1.5 years, from Q1 2013 to Q3 2014.
This is very strong growth in a country where WhatsApp is the most popular chat app. On its part, WeChat attributes the robust growth to its constant rolling out of new app features that enhance its subscribers’ mobile experiences as the main driver. Specifically, WeChat says its messaging platform is most popular with Singaporeans aged 16 to 34, which dominates nearly half WeChat’s user base here.
“We are excited about WeChat’s stellar growth momentum both globally and throughout Singapore--a strong foothold for the first quarter of 2015,” said Louis Song, the country manager for Singapore and Malaysia for WeChat.
“We will continue to focus on enhancing user interaction by broadening the activities from social and communications to gaming, entertainment, media content, and beyond.”