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The graph shows the monthly amount of text messages in China from **** to ****. In ****, about billion text messages had been sent in China.

Text messaging in China – additional information

There has been a significant decline in text messaging after the total number of text messages sent in China peaked in 2012 at *** billion. The decrease is even more noticeable in terms of text messages sent per person, taking account of the increasing number of registered mobile users in China. The reason for the continuous decline in text messaging is quite obvious; due to the growing popularity of smartphones and mobile internet, Chinese mobile users are preferring mobile messaging apps to share information. The usage of mobile message apps is almost universal among Chinese smartphone users; around ** percent of iPhone users in China are using WeChat, for example, the most popular Chinese messaging app developed by Tencent. As of the second quarter of 2015, the number of monthly active WeChat users has reached approximately *** million.

Mobile message apps like WeChat are gaining rapid traction among Chinese users because they offer more than an alternative to texting. Voice messaging, also known as “push-to-talk”, was the most commonly used function of WeChat in 2014. One reason may be that Chinese language is relatively hard to type, so voice messaging could take full advantage in keeping the users hands free and saving a considerable amount of time. Besides, mobile message apps in China are even more appealing due to the inclusion of social media features: As of ***, about ** percent of WeChat users had used “moment”, a sharing feature allowing people to exchange stories, photos and short videos among their circle of friends. Moreover, China’s instant messaging apps like WeChat are expanding their services in sectors such as gaming, commercial promoting, online shopping, and even banking.