China’s app ecosystem never sits still. In the past few months, Alipay, WeChat, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu have all pushed major updates that change how people pay, shop, and interact. Here is what is actually happening.
Alipay “Touch to Pay” (碰一下): From 0 to 200 Million in 13 Months
Alipay launched “Touch to Pay” in mid-2024. The idea is simple: unlock your phone, tap it on a small blue-ringed NFC device at the checkout, and you are done. No need to open the Alipay app. No need to find a QR code.
It took 321 days to reach 100 million users. The second 100 million took just four months. As of September 2025, the user count is past 200 million. Ant Group CEO Han Xinyi said this growth curve is even faster than Yu’e Bao, Alipay’s old money-market fund hit.
The numbers that matter: in stores that offer both QR scan and “Touch to Pay,” 80% of users pick the tap. Alipay says nearly 100 million people have used at least two different “Touch to Pay” services, not just payment but also unlocking shared bikes, picking up packages from lockers, and hotel check-in without an ID card.
Why is this working now? NFC phone penetration in China hit 67.3% in 2024, up from 41.2% in 2020. Alipay also solved the merchant cost problem by offering sticker-style devices for small shops, not just expensive terminals. A domestic chip from Fudan Microelectronics powers every device, and Alipay has placed orders for over 10 million units.
My take: this is Alipay’s best shot at breaking WeChat Pay’s dominance in offline scenarios. Whether it sticks depends on whether WeChat responds. So far, WeChat has not launched a competing product.
WeChat Mini Programs Go Global: 5 Billion Cross-Border Uses
WeChat announced at its January 2026 open class that global and cross-border users opened mini programs over 5 billion times in 2025. That is up from a much smaller base, though WeChat did not give a 2024 comparison. Mini program services now cover 100 countries and regions.
The transaction data is more interesting. In the second half of 2025, transaction volume through mini programs grew over 70% year over year. Chinese outbound travelers spent 60% more via mini programs. Malaysia saw monthly transaction volume jump 90% plus. Singapore grew 80% plus. Italy exploded with 300% plus monthly transaction growth.
WeChat Pay now works in 78 countries and supports 36 currencies. Foreign visitors can pay inside mini programs using Visa, Mastercard, and local wallets like Singapore’s PayNow. This matters because China’s inbound tourism is recovering, and WeChat is the first app most visitors install.
WeChat Shop and the “Send Gift” Feature
WeChat Shop, which replaced Video号小店 in 2024, is no longer “Buddhist-style” (佛系) about growth. At the same open class, WeChat said brand merchant GMV grew 4.3 times faster than the platform average. GPM (revenue per thousand views) rose 1.5 times. Monthly active merchant count grew 1.7 times.
The “Send Gift” feature, launched in late 2024, lets users buy a product and send it to a WeChat contact as a gift. The recipient sees a blue envelope-style message, enters their address, and the item ships. WeChat says return rates on gift orders are extremely low because social pressure keeps quality high. On January 20, 2025 alone, East Buy’s WeChat shop sold over 1 million yuan worth of goods, with 80% coming from gifts.
The catch: the gift entry is still buried. You have to search for “gift” manually or find it through specific shop pages. WeChat’s usual restraint is still there.
Douyin Pay Enters Apple’s App Store
In August 2025, Apple started gray-testing Douyin Pay as a payment option in the China App Store. It joins UnionPay cards, Alipay, and WeChat Pay as the fourth option. Douyin acquired its payment license by buying Hezhong Yibao for over 750 million yuan, and this App Store integration is a big legitimacy signal.
There are also rumors that Apple will open an official store on Douyin Mall, joining its existing official channels on Tmall and its own website. I have not been able to confirm this, but the payment integration makes it plausible.
Xiaohongshu Gets Its Own Payment License
Xiaohongshu (3.5 billion monthly active users, 50% born after 1995) acquired Dongfang Electronic Payment in November 2025 through its subsidiary Ningzhi Information. The license covers internet payments and cross-border foreign exchange.
This is part of a bigger e-commerce push. Xiaohongshu added a “Market” tab to its bottom navigation bar in August 2025, putting shopping on equal footing with its content feed. It also launched “Friendly Market” during the 618 shopping festival, offering zero commission on sales made through comments and group chats. The platform is running a “first 1 million yuan in sales, no commission” policy for new merchants.
Xiaohongshu’s valuation hit $26 billion in 2025, up from $17 billion in 2024. IPO rumors are circulating again. The platform’s bet is that its “plant grass” (种草) content can convert directly to sales without users leaving the app. Early signs: brands like bag maker Yeguo now sell more on Xiaohongshu than on Taobao.
What This Means
China’s superapps are converging on the same goal: keep every transaction inside the app. Alipay wants to own offline payment again. WeChat wants to turn social relationships into shopping channels. Douyin wants to be a full financial services player. Xiaohongshu wants to close the loop from inspiration to purchase.
None of this is guaranteed to work. WeChat Shop’s growth is real but the user experience is still clunky. Douyin Pay has a long way to go before it challenges the big two. Xiaohongshu’s e-commerce push risks alienating the content-first users who made the platform popular.
But the pace of change is undeniable. If you are tracking China’s app ecosystem, 2025 is the year when every major player stopped playing defense and started building their own closed loops. What happens when they all finish building?