WeChat is an essential app if you plan to do business in China or communicate with people there. It’s the app you use for everything—from messaging to paying for services and products. However, getting started with WeChat has its limitations, especially if you’re not in mainland China. You’ll need a phone number to register, and this requires a SIM card issued by a Chinese carrier. Additionally, if you want to use WeChat for payments, you’ll need a Chinese bank account.
If you’re not in China and need to use WeChat, getting an account can be tricky. The easiest way to do this is by having someone in China send you a Chinese SIM card so you can use that number to register. This method will help you get started easily. But if that’s not an option, there is another way: having someone in China with a verified WeChat account help you register.
To do this, you’ll need to start the registration process with your international phone number. WeChat will send you a verification code, which you’ll need to enter, and you’ll go through the usual setup steps like creating a password. After that, WeChat will prompt you with instructions for verifying your account. This is where you need help from someone in China who already uses WeChat.
The person assisting you must have a verified account linked to a bank, which is standard in China. They can then either manually enter your phone number into WeChat or scan a QR code you send them to complete the verification. I chose the latter method and captured a QR code, sending it to my friend in China via WhatsApp. Unfortunately, when my friend tried scanning it, an error appeared: “Error While Submitting Information. Try Again.” It took me a while to troubleshoot the issue, but I finally realized that my QR code was being affected by dark mode on my phone.
As a result, I had to disable dark mode and take a new screenshot of the QR code. When my friend scanned the updated QR code, the process worked smoothly. After they verified my account, I was able to log in. The next steps were straightforward: I accepted the terms and conditions, entered a fake birth date (for privacy reasons), and granted WeChat access to my address book. Unlike WhatsApp or Telegram, WeChat does not notify your contacts when you join, so I didn’t have to worry about anyone being alerted to my new account.
Once I was set up, I explored WeChat further. One thing that stood out is how it handles data transfer when switching phones. Unlike WhatsApp, which automatically backs up your data to the cloud, WeChat stores everything locally on your phone. To transfer your data to a new phone, you must connect the devices via Wi-Fi and scan a QR code on the new phone. This will transfer your data directly, which can be a bit tricky if you’re not careful.
Even though I don’t use WeChat frequently—just a message or two to my suppliers every couple of months—I noticed the app managed to download over 2 GB of data to my phone. The app’s storage usage quickly increased despite my limited usage. In the future, I plan to create a video explaining how to clear this up and manage WeChat’s storage better.