95% of Chinese Users Surveyed Would Rather Give Up Their iPhones Than Lose WeChat

As a ban on WeChat and other apps originating in China looms, companies who do business in China and iPhone users in the country are concerned about how the ban could impact device sales and daily device usage.

apple wechat
It's still unclear whether the ban applies to the WeChat app only in the United States or if it will result in the removal of the WeChat app from iPhones across the globe. Tencent, which owns WeChat, said it believes the ban applies only in the U.S., but it is seeking clarity. The wording in the executive order is vague, banning any transaction that is related to WeChat, and it is up to the Commerce Department to work out the details.

A WeChat ban in the United States has the potential to cause a minor drop in sales, but a WeChat ban in China would be devastating for Apple as many Chinese ‌iPhone‌ users feel their devices would be useless without the WeChat app.

In a Weibo survey highlighted by Bloomberg, for example, 95 percent of the 1.2 million people who responded said they would switch to an Android smartphone over an ‌iPhone‌ rather than give up WeChat. WeChat has more than 1.2 billion monthly active users, many of them in China.

One user in Hong Kong, Kenny Ou, told Bloomberg that a WeChat ban would turn the ‌iPhone‌ into "electronic trash," while another, Sky Ding, said WeChat is so important that most Chinese users would prefer to swap phones. "My family in China are all used to WeChat and all our communication is on the platform," said Ding.

Many U.S. companies, including Apple, Ford, Walmart, and Disney have been aiming to convince the Trump administration not to ban WeChat. According to The Wall Street Journal, more than a dozen U.S companies raised concerns in a call with White House officials on Tuesday, with Apple included in the call.

"For those who don't live in China, they don't understand how vast the implications are if American companies aren't allowed to use it," said Craig Allen, president of the U.S.-China Business Council. "They are going to be held at a severe disadvantage to every competitor," he added.

In a recent note to investors, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said that global ‌iPhone‌ shipments could decline by 25 to 30 percent if Apple is forced to remove WeChat from its App Store worldwide. If WeChat is only removed from the U.S. ‌App Store‌, however, ‌iPhone‌ sales could be impacted by 3 to 6 percent.

The Trump administration is aiming to ban all U.S. transactions with ByteDance (which makes TikTok) and Tencent. The ban was announced on August 7 and there are 39 days left before it goes into effect.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: WeChat

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Battery Glass Feature

Apple Says Installing iOS 26 Might Impact Battery Life

Monday September 15, 2025 10:56 am PDT by
In the iOS 26 release notes, Apple is warning iPhone users that installing the new software might have a temporary impact on battery life, which is normal. A new support document explains that major iOS updates require background setup like indexing data and files for search, downloading new assets, and updating apps. Further, Apple says that new features could require more resources,...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 Get iOS 26 Features With New Firmware Update

Monday September 15, 2025 10:50 am PDT by
Apple today released updated firmware for the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4, introducing support for the new AirPods features that are included in iOS 26, iPadOS 26, and macOS Tahoe. The firmware has a build number of 8A356, and it replaces the current 7E93 firmware. With Apple's new software updates, the AirPods Pro 2 and the AirPods 4 support better audio quality for phone calls and...
iOS 26

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4: Here Are 5 New Features to Expect on Your iPhone

Tuesday September 16, 2025 11:17 am PDT by
iOS 26 was finally released on Monday, but the software train never stops, and the first developer beta of iOS 26.1 will likely be released soon. iOS 18.1 was an anomaly, as the first developer beta of that version was released in late July last year, to allow for early testing of Apple Intelligence features. The first betas of iOS 15.1, iOS 16.1, and iOS 17.1 were all released in the second ...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design Draws Criticism From Users

Wednesday September 17, 2025 2:56 pm PDT by
It's been two days since iOS 26 was released, and Apple's new Liquid Glass design is even more divisive than expected. Any major design change can create controversy as people get used to the new look, but the MacRumors forums, Reddit, Apple Support Communities, and social media sites seem to feature more criticism than praise as people discuss the update. Complaints There are a long...
Tim Cook Rainbow

Apple Reportedly Plans to Launch These 10 Products in 'Coming Months'

Sunday September 14, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple's annual September event is now in the rearview mirror, with the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and AirPods Pro 3 set to launch this Friday, September 19. As always, there is more to come. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple plans to release many products in the...
iOS 26 Glass Feature

iOS 26: The Top 100 New Features and Changes

Tuesday September 16, 2025 12:26 pm PDT by
Apple released iOS 26 on September 15, and it's now available for all iPhone users with a compatible device. There are a lot of changes and features to learn about, so if you want a quick, easy-to-read list that outlines what's new, we've got you covered. Design Liquid Glass design that reflects light and refracts what's underneath. It's system wide, with dynamic tab bars and toolbars...
new iphone lockscreen ios 26

iOS 26: All the New iPhone Lock Screen Customizations

Tuesday September 16, 2025 5:56 am PDT by
Apple has now made iOS 26 available to download on compatible iPhone models, and if you just installed the new software, Apple has made some changes and feature additions to the iPhone Lock Screen that you may want to check out. To download iOS 26 on your iPhone, go to Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update, then let your device check Apple's servers for the latest software. Wait for the...

Top Rated Comments

tdar Avatar
67 months ago
All I’m going to say is that I can’t wait until January 20th at noon.
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
67 months ago

... Why wouldn't you just download a different app...
because you can barely do anything without this App and if you cannot do the most basic things you may end up with a bad "social score" which as a result does not allow you to buy plane tickets anymore and so on.

You can even "tip" homeless people via a WeChat QR-Code they have hanging around their neck.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kstotlani Avatar
67 months ago
I don’t understand why the ban would apply in China.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
one more Avatar
67 months ago
As far as I understand it, Trump is the president of the USA, so his executive order can be binding to the US territory/companies, but how can this affect the Chinese software market?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
one more Avatar
67 months ago

... Why wouldn't you just download a different app...
Because WeChat, as explained in a previous article, serves its users as a multi-functional tool, allowing to chat, make payments, etc. It also seems to be very popular in China.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
The Phazer Avatar
67 months ago

Yea I'm kinda struggling to understand this. Why would the ban only apply to iOS devices? Wouldn't Android be affected too? Or does it depend on the manufacturer?
It would apply to Google, but Google already doesn't ship any Google services or the Play Store in China.

Google don't own Android, it's open source code. Manufacturers can use AOSP without their permission, and if a non-American manufacturer wants to do so then it can do a deal with Wechat to put the app in their own store on an Android handset, and most of them already do so. The vast majority of Android OEMs aren't American owned, and therefore their non-American subsidiaries aren't affected by this.

Apple is.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)