WeChat launches wearables platform in China

WeChat

China-based Tencent — which messaging service WeChat is one of the most popular apps in the country — is jumping into the wearables market, allowing users with iHealth, Huawei Honor, Lifesense, and Codoon devices to login in with their WeChat credentials.

WeChat offers an API that aims to become the de facto wearable OS in China. The software is intended to provide a frictionless experience for wearable device users.

The company is looking become a centralized data hub or data exchange for health information, allowing apps and devices to tap into and use pre-existing health and fitness data collected from other WeChat-compatible devices.

The bold goal, apparently, is just a start with WeChat aiming to serve as a central spot for an array of Internet of Things (IoT) apps, devices and services. In that sense, the foray into fitness and health tech may be just the first step.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the planet, giants like Google, Apple and Microsoft are trying to accomplish the same.

According to a recent report from the Credit Suisse Group, the annual global market for wearable devices may reach $30 billion or up to $50 billion within the next two or three years.

[Via: CNet]