The popular Chinese messaging app WeChat is now offering Skype-like international telephone calling service. The new update called "WeChat Out" allows users to call actual phone numbers (either a mobile phone or landline).

WeChat is owned by Chinese Internet giant called Tencent. Recently the company announced that the app has grown so fast with over 500 million active users worldwide. The service was initially available for users based in the U.S., India, and Hong Kong, but later on it was rolled out worldwide.

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With this update, WeChat users can call their friends and family with a landline or mobile phone on hand, not just their WeChat friends.

At the moment, the company is offering a deal to start things. Interested users will need to pay an initial fee of $0.99 only, which according to Tencent, will allow up to 100 minutes of calls. However, once the freebie expires, users will need to pay more to continue using the service. All the necessary information and rate per minute for the calling service can be found in the app.

The WeChat calling service is considered as a huge innovation in China, but it is relatively late to the international calling area. The leading calling application as of today is the Skype, which is a very popular messaging app - particularly in Asia. Skype's calling feature was added nearly two years ago. Meanwhile, WeChat also launched a standalone international free calls app back in 2014, but that service has not set the world alight.

The majority of the WeChat users come from China, where WeChat is the default mobile messaging app used by people of all ages. Meanwhile, aside from the "WeChat Out" feature update, the company has also introduced its own mobile wallet. Tencent reported that its mobile wallet has now over 200 million users in China.

Tagswechat update, Skype, WeChat Out