WeChat Just Made One Big Change and You Didn't Even Notice

By Bridget O'Donnell

Eagle-eyed WeChat users might notice a subtle change when they first open the app this week.

The app announced yesterday that it would be rolling out a slightly tweaked launch screen image, which would be displayed from September 25 to September 28.  It's the first time WeChat has ever updated the splash screen since it launched six years ago in 2011.

Take a look at the before and after images below. Notice any differences?

Left: The old screen, right: the new one

The new start screen features a different image of the Earth, captured by Chinese satellite Feng Yun-4A.

According to Sina, the image has been temporarily replaced to celebrate the technological breakthroughs of the Feng Yun-4A satellite series, the first of which was launched into space in December 2016 and officially put into use on Monday. China plans to launch more FY-4A units between 2018 and 2033 to track the weather. ("Feng Yun" literally means "Wind Cloud").

The previous image displayed NASA's famous 1972 photo Blue Marble, which features Africa as the main focal point. In the new screen, China is front and center.

In a statement, WeChat explained the reason for the switch (translation via Quartz):

“The African continent is the origin of human civilization. Only with the emergence of humankind does the ability to communicate exist and have meaning.

“The FY-4A’s photo is meant along the same vein, to evoke the history of the development of Chinese civilization since humanity’s origins by showcasing China’s natural scenery to our hundreds of millions of users.”

As ChinaChannel notes, the original screen may have actually been a nod to WeChat's early South African investors, Napsers. Speculation is also rife that the silhouette of the boy is intended to represent WeChat founder Allen Zhang.

[Images via AdAge, Sina]

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