After testing, the WeChat keyboard finally caught up with the end of 2022, and the official version of 1.0.0 was released. Have you used it?

It's said that using WeChat keyboard in WeChat has a function matching degree that you can't imagine!

WeChat keyboard for protecting user privacy

On the night of WeChat last year, Zhang Xiaolong, the "father of WeChat", mentioned that "in the future, Tencent's WeChat team will develop a customized input method exclusively for WeChat."

In his view, the WeChat keyboard is like a pure land in the input method: everyone said that WeChat analyzes user chat records, so WeChat will make a truly pure input method for users to avoid WeChat continuing to "back the pot" for other input methods.

According to the data, in November 2021, the overall monthly user scale of China's third-party input method was 714 million, with 68.5% penetration rate of active people across the network. The market "Matthew effect" was significant. Sogou input method, iFLYTEK input method and Baidu input method accounted for more than 95% of the market share.

In fact, Sogou's input method, which has a high market share, is also a product of Tencent. In October 2021, Tencent's purchase of Sogou, which cost 1.15 billion US dollars, ended. Sogou's browser, input method and other businesses were integrated into Tencent's platform and content business group.

I believe that everyone has heard of the concept of "Internet without privacy".

From the well-founded user ID tracking to the appalling "software background secretly recording", to the so-called software and input method to analyze user chat records, the world's Internet giants have countless ways to distinguish each user, analyze their habits, push ads to them, and then package and sell these information to other platforms, so that other platforms can kill each other with big data.

Therefore, with the original intention of protecting "customer privacy" as the starting point, WeChat keyboard came into being.

It is reported that Zhang Xiaolong said earlier that WeChat did not want to use input method, but received many complaints from users that their chat records were stolen, and they would see the corresponding advertisements if they entered anything.

He also explained that WeChat does not save chat records, and it also stipulates that anyone who reads the user's chat records will be dismissed. Therefore, in order to protect users' privacy, WeChat has to make its own input method.

Until April 2021, WeChat keyboard was tested in grayscale in WeChat App for the first time in the form of virtual keyboard plug-in, and there was no more information about WeChat keyboard for a long time.

However, in September 2022, WeChat launched a beta version of its WeChat keyboard in the form of App.

As we all know, WeChat has a strong user group. As of December 2022, WeChat keyboard was officially launched.

The WeChat keyboard launched this time belongs to Tencent's WeChat business group. By the third quarter of 2022, the combined monthly active users of WeChat and WeChat (WeChat overseas version) were 1.309 billion, up 3.7% year on year.

The introduction of WeChat keyboard in national applications with more than 1.3 billion users makes it possible to rewrite the market pattern of domestic input methods.

What kind of product is WeChat keyboard?

It is reported that the WeChat keyboard is similar to other third-party input methods. Users first need to download the WeChat keyboard, open the WeChat keyboard in the settings, and switch the input method to the WeChat keyboard to start using.

According to the official introduction, the WeChat keyboard is a Chinese input method created by Tencent's WeChat team, which supports Chinese and English input. You can select a variety of input methods such as Jiugongge, full keyboard, five strokes, stroke, double spelling, handwriting, etc.

At the same time, it supports voice to text, and can recognize Mandarin, Cantonese, English, etc.

The WeChat keyboard also has a variety of functions such as intelligent recommendation and spell check. Among them, intelligent recommendation allows users to enter text in WeChat chat, and conveniently share text related book videos, applets, official account and other content.

Spelling check can accurately proofread the input content and convert the wrong words into the correct version.

In addition to the efficient input experience, the WeChat keyboard can also intelligently recommend books, videos and facial expressions.

In terms of user privacy, open the privacy policy of any smart input method, and you can see a description like "We will share part of user information with partners".

The WeChat input method is different. It is understood that the WeChat keyboard will be set to "privacy protection mode" by default when it is installed for the first time.

In this mode, the content entered by the user will not be uploaded to the server, but only stored locally to provide basic input functions.

Even if the user needs to turn on the "Spelling Plus" function, the permission required for this app will only be to upload part of the input data to the cloud, and the official also stressed that this function will not store the information uploaded by the user.

Even the WeChat keyboard wrote at the beginning of the privacy policy page, "You can directly use this software without registering and logging in user accounts. Based on the functional requirements, we will collect your system information, some input content and other information, but we will not use this part of information to identify, restore and associate your identity".

This may be an important reason for many users to choose WeChat keyboard. After all, in the domestic Internet industry, input method has always been a high incidence area of user information leakage.

Because WeChat keyboard can call WeChat resources at will, you can search and send expression packets directly through WeChat keyboard in the chat box. After entering keywords, the system can automatically recommend the corresponding music, video, WeChat reading, applet, video account and WeChat official account, saving the time for users to search.

Create an ecological closed-loop of WeChat content, which is equivalent to a more frequent "search" for users.

Because the content deposited in different sectors such as official account, video account, friends circle, and applet is massive, although WeChat has been strengthening the search function, hoping that search can become a "clue" connecting its own content ecology, after all, search is an active behavior and requires the subjective initiative of users.

The advantage of WeChat keyboard recommendation is that it can skillfully integrate the user's active search behavior into the daily chat process.

For example, recently, the World Cup has just ended and Argentina has won the World Cup. Many friends must talk about the event with their friends. At this time, the video number content such as Messi's goal collection is recommended on the WeChat keyboard based on the keywords entered by the user. This wave of operation can enable the video number to divide a piece of the World Cup traffic cake from Tiktok.

Tencent applied for multiple "WeChat input method" trademarks

As a super national app with more than 1 billion active users, WeChat is no longer the "small and beautiful" product of the year.

WeChat payment, WeChat shopping, WeChat games, WeChat applets, WeChat official account, WeChat video account, WeChat has built its own relatively closed ecology through new functions that are constantly superimposed.

Today, users can easily complete chat, payment, shopping, games, search, video and other operations through WeChat, and the emergence of WeChat keyboard can also further consolidate their own ecological city.

According to the network information, Tencent Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. has applied for the "WeChat keyboard" trademark several times. Among them, several trademarks applied for in March last year have been successfully registered, while many trademarks applied for again in March this year are in the status of "refutation pending".

In addition, Tencent has also applied for the registration of multiple "WeChat input method" graphic trademarks. The international classification involves scientific instruments, education and entertainment, communication services, etc. The current trademark status is pending substantive review.

The process of registering a trademark is very complex, and there are certain risks. It will be "rejected" if it is not careful.

According to Tencent's trademark application, it may not have won the trademark of the input method at present, which may be the reason why the above input method is called WeChat keyboard rather than WeChat input method directly.

In the future, if the WeChat input method related trademarks can be fully registered successfully, they may be renamed. However, it is always right that the brand does not move the trademark first!

Note: The pictures and texts come from the network. If you have any valuable suggestions, please contact us at any time to revise and update!