QQ Now Runs WeChat Mini‑Programs: What This Means for Mobile Users

Two months after publishing an article about the potential merger of WeChat and QQ, Tencent's QQ Mini‑Program Developer Platform announced that QQ will now fully support running WeChat mini‑programs.

This creates historic interoperability between the two national‑level apps, allowing users to open WeChat mini‑programs directly within QQ for ordering food, hailing rides, shopping, and more without switching between apps.

The integration works by adding the original WeChat mini‑program code as a QQ plugin and automatically converting WeChat authorization to QQ authorization, enabling dual‑runtime operation.

Tests show that over 90% of mainstream WeChat mini‑programs—including Meituan, JD.com, and Tencent Docs—run smoothly in QQ with an experience almost identical to native operation, though game mini‑programs such as "Honor of Kings" are not yet supported.

This rollout is part of QQ's "slimming plan," which has already removed features like the status square, QQ pets, and group mail. By directly integrating mature WeChat mini‑programs, QQ reduces its development burden while enhancing user experience.

Other companies have made similar moves: Alibaba linked Alipay and DingTalk mini‑programs, and ByteDance connected Douyin mini‑programs to Feishu. Tencent's integration now extends the mini‑program ecosystem to 1.9 billion users.

According to Tencent's 2024 financial report, QQ's mobile monthly active users fell 5% to 5.24 billion, while WeChat’s combined MAU reached 13.85 billion, indicating a shift toward WeChat. The new interoperability may help revive QQ’s user base.

For ordinary users, the most tangible benefit is eliminating the need to switch between apps, improving efficiency, especially for workers, and enabling one‑click QQ login without repeatedly entering credentials.

Students can also scan QR codes with QQ to log into Tencent Docs and collaborate on assignments directly within groups.

Historically, QQ stopped allowing WeChat login in 2016, but in 2020 WeChat introduced "Transfer to QQ" and QQ added a "WeChat Pay" option for red packets. In 2022, WeChat login trials laid the groundwork for today’s deep integration.

Looking ahead, Tencent may further blur platform boundaries by enabling message interoperation and cross‑platform game data, potentially reshaping the future of social applications.