WeChat is a free instant messaging application, to be used as an alternative to messages sent over the phone. With WeChat you can send text messages, photos, videos and much more. This application is available for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, Nokia S40, Symbian and Blackberry systems. It is also available on Mac OS X.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Register an Account
Step 1. Register an account
Open WeChat. Press the "Register" button. On the registration screen, select the country you live in and then enter your phone number in the field provided. Click on Register. Check your phone number and then click on Confirm.
Step 2. Verify your account
WeChat will send you a verification code by message, consisting of four digits. Enter it in the appropriate field and then click on Subscribe.
- If you do not receive the verification code, request it again and a new code will be sent to you via message or automatic call.
- According to the terms of service of the app, to use WeChat, you must be over 13 years old and your parents' consent.
Step 3. Set up WeChat profile
On the profile screen, write your full name in the field provided.
- In this same screen, you can set a photo of yourself. This step is optional.
- In the field reserved for the name you can choose the one you prefer.
Step 4. Find your friends on WeChat
On the Find Friends screen, WeChat will ask you if you want to find all friends who use that same application. If you agree, the app will upload the names, phone numbers and email addresses from your phone to WeChat servers to find your friends who use this app.
- Click on "Learn more" to find out how WeChat will use your friends' contact information.
- You can do this at any time or you can decide to enter your contacts manually.
Part 2 of 3: Adding Friends
Step 1. Open WeChat and hit the Contacts button
If you let WeChat see your contact list, it will use that information to search for other users you may know.
Step 2. Click on Recommended Friends
Step 3. Press the Add Contacts button for each friend you want to add
This user will be added to your contact list.
Step 4. To find friends by their phone number, tap + in the top right corner
Step 5. Select Add contacts
Step 6. In the search field, enter the phone number of a friend who uses WeChat
You can also search for him by his personal ID.
- The WeChat ID is the name entered upon registration.
- Furthermore, you can also search for users by QR ID, which is a very popular messaging app in China. However, unless you have friends in China, this method won't be of much use to you.
Part 3 of 3: Using WeChat
Step 1. Send a message
Select Contacts, a friend's name and then Messages to open the chat. Write a message in the appropriate box and then select Send.
Step 2. Add emoticons to the message
Write your message and then select the smiley icon. Tap on an emoticon to select it.
Step 3. Send a photo or video
In the text box, select the + button and then hit Images to send an image. If you have granted WeChat access to your image gallery, you will be able to select photos and videos. Select a photo to add it to your message. You can also add a caption. Press Submit.
On iOS systems, the first time you try to send a photo or video, by selecting it from your gallery, you will be asked for permission to access. You can change this configuration in your iOS settings by scrolling to WeChat settings and changing the privacy
Step 4. Take a photo or video to send
To the right of the text box, press the + button and then select the camera to take a photo or video. Take a photo or record a video and then select Use Photo. WeChat will send the photo or video.
- Be careful when submitting videos as they may be oversized.
- On iOS systems, the first time you try to take a photo or video, using WeChat, you will be asked for permission to log in. You can change this setting in your iOS configurations by scrolling to WeChat settings and changing the privacy.
Step 5. Call or video call
In addition to sending messages, images and videos, WeChat offers you the ability to make both calls and video calls. Press the + button and select Call or Video Call.
- If the person you're trying to call doesn't have you in their contacts, you won't be able to make the call or video call.
- If you are not connected to a Wifi network, you will make the call or video call with the phone data. Remember that video calling tends to consume a lot of data.
