WeChat said on Monday it will allow more links and content from third-parties to open directly within user chats, in response to China‘s push for interoperability among Big Tech companies and after a recent ban on app upgrades by the company.
In one-to-one chats, external links can be opened directly, WeChat said.
Users will also be able to open shopping links shared from external platforms in WeChat’s group chats “on the basis of ensuring security and user experience”, Tencent said in an announcement on its official account.
Under the old practice, users of one internet company are not able to click directly through links operated by another internet service provider. Instead, they would be asked to open the link in a browser, which was user-unfriendly.
Chinese regulators have pledged to rein in such business practices derived from the growing monopoly among China's top-performing internet companies. In September, MIIT spokesperson Zhao Zhiguo specified blocking links as a malpractice which affects user experience, dampens consumer rights and disturbs market order.
