Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is thriving. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s thickest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a multiplicity of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are devices to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and excellent diversity of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large diversity of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your dearest companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a excellent social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s thickest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Trio. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where puny businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a blessed fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and garment, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A ideal app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where private pictures can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always desired to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding palms in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always wished.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or drape out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is plain; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to horny nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
[button link=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsonweibo” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”] Go after us on Twitter[/button]
– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What – s on Weibo
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is flourishing. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s fattest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a multitude of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are implements to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and fine multitude of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large diversity of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your beloved companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a fine social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s largest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Trio. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where puny businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a glad fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and garment, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A ideal app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where private pictures can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always wished to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding palms in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always wished.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or dangle out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is plain; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to insatiable nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
[button link=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsonweibo” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”] Go after us on Twitter[/button]
– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What – s on Weibo
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is flourishing. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s largest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a diversity of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are instruments to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and superb diversity of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large multiplicity of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your dearest companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a fine social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s fattest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Trio. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where petite businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a glad fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and clothing, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A flawless app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where private pictures can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always wished to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding arms in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always dreamed.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or string up out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is elementary; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to insane nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
[button link=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsonweibo” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”] Go after us on Twitter[/button]
– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What – s on Weibo
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is thriving. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s thickest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a multiplicity of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are instruments to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and fine multitude of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large diversity of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your beloved companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a good social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s thickest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Trio. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where puny businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a blessed fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and garment, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A ideal app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where private pics can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always dreamed to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding mitts in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always desired.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or drape out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is plain; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to horny nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
[button link=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsonweibo” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”] Go after us on Twitter[/button]
– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What – s on Weibo
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is thriving. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s fattest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a diversity of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are instruments to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and fine multitude of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large multitude of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your dearest companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a good social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s fattest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Trio. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where petite businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a blessed fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and garment, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A ideal app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where private pictures can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always wished to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding forearms in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always desired.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or suspend out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is ordinary; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to nasty nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
[button link=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsonweibo” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”] Go after us on Twitter[/button]
– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What – s on Weibo
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is flourishing. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s thickest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a multiplicity of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are devices to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and fine multiplicity of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large multiplicity of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your dearest companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a good social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s fattest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Trio. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where petite businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a blessed fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and clothing, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A flawless app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where individual photos can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always wished to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding mitts in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always wished.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or dangle out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is elementary; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to wild nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
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– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What – s on Weibo
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is flourishing. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s fattest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a multitude of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are devices to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and excellent multiplicity of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large diversity of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your dearest companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a excellent social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s largest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Three. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where puny businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a blessed fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and garment, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A flawless app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where individual photos can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always desired to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding palms in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always dreamed.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or dangle out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is elementary; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to wild nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
[button link=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsonweibo” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”] Go after us on Twitter[/button]
– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What – s on Weibo
Top ten of Chinese Apps by What’s on Weibo
What’s on Weibo brings you a brief introduction to China’s fast-growing app market, oversight of alternative Android app stores and a top ten of the most useful and funny Chinese apps.
C hina is the world’s largest smartphone market. With approximately five hundred twenty million smartphone users in Mainland China, mobile app business is flourishing. In 2014, Chinese mobile phone users collectively downloaded close to one hundred eighty five billion apps – 59% of all app downloads worldwide. In comparison: mobile phone users in the United States only transferred 8% of all global app downloads.
China does not only have a flourishing mobile app market, it is also a unique one. Popular Western app services like Twitter or Facebook have been blocked in Mainland China for over five years. Since the end of 2014, all Google services, including Gmail, Google Search, Google Maps or Google Play, have been cut off. The absence of these major Western app services has created a distinctive Chinese app environment, where alternative brands such as Baidu, Weibo or Weixin predominate the market.
Since April two thousand fifteen , China has officially surpassed the US as Apple’s thickest iPhone market. Albeit Apple has the number one spot in urban China smartphone sales (27.6% market share), it is Android that takes the crown in terms of application sales revenue. Popular smartphone brands like Xiaomi, OnePlus, Oppo or Samsung are all based on the Android operating system. In China, the ‘iOs versus Android‘ battle is not an ‘iTunes versus Google Play’ duopoly, as seen elsewhere in the world. Because of the blockage of Google Play and China’s flourishing domestic app market, Chinese Android users download their apps through a multitude of app stores. NewZoo and TalkingData publish a monthly oversight of the top ten Android App Stores in China . Alternative Android app stores like 360 (360手机助手), MyApp by Tencent (腾讯应用宝), Baidu app store (百度手机助手), the Xiaomi phone store (小米应用商店) or Wandoujia (豌豆荚) are amongst the most popular ones. Some of these, like three hundred sixty or Baidu, are more than just an app store; they are devices to manage your phone by clearing the cache, deleting apps, saving on battery life, etc. Apart from the Baidu app store , Baidu browser and Baidu maps are convenient for anyone visiting or living in China, since Chrome or Google Maps will not work through normal Mainland Internet connections.
With such a giant mobile market and good multiplicity of app stores, the world of China’s apps is like a mobile jungle if you are not familiar with it. What’s on Weibo has therefore selected a top ten of useful and funny Chinese apps for you:
1. Weixin: the essential app for everyday life
Weixin (微信), also known as WeChat, is China’s most popular smartphone application. It was launched in two thousand eleven by Tencent . The power of this app lies in its multifunctionality; Weixin is Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook, Paypal, Shazam, Viber and Uber, all combined into one app. It therefore is the essential app for everyday life. Through Weixin’s talk functions, you can have individual conversations with your friend or make a group talk. There is a large diversity of emoji’s to choose from to express your mood. The ‘moments’ function is comparable to Facebook’s timeline, where you can go after what your friends are doing and comment on their pictures. Through ‘subscription accounts’ it is possible to go after your dearest companies or media sources, from CCTV to McDonalds. Except for a excellent social media platform, Weixin is also an significant way for (Chinese) media and businesses to stay in touch with their audiences. For more information about Weixin, read our Brief Guide to China’s Super App or China’s Weixin Revolution .
Weixin is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store, both in Chinese and English versions.
Two. Sina Weibo: not dead yet
Sina Weibo (新浪微博) is China’s fattest social media platform, comparable to Twitter, launched in August 2009. Recently, many different media have stated that Weibo is dying as a consequence to fresh rules that required users to register with their real names. More people allegedly switched from Weibo to Weixin, media argued, and Weibo would soon be on the way out as online free speech becomes more and more limited. Albeit Weibo is not the platform it used to be, it is still very much alive. The private dimension of Weibo (talking amongst friends) has made room for Weixin, where P2P is the most significant form of interaction. Sina Weibo is now a public social media platform and China’s most superior source of news content, where netizens discuss trending topics of the day. Weibo has six hundred million users; around one hundred seventy five million of them are monthly active users. 70% of Weibo daily traffic comes through its mobile app.
Weibo is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Three. Taobao: the ultimate mobile shop and more
Taobao Marketplace is one of China’s largest online shopping platforms, comparable to Ebay or Amazon. It was launched in two thousand three by China’s Alibaba Group. Taobao is a place where petite businesses and individuals can sell products to consumers – anything from clothes to medicine. For the most funny things for sale, check out our top list of unusual things for sale on Taobao . Taobao has 8.Four million annual active merchants, many of whom mainly run their stores through the Taobao app.
Taobao will have more functions in the future besides serving as a shopping platform. Alipay and Sina Weibo launched a fresh service last week where mobile users can log in through Taobao, Alipay or Weibo to arrange their public service issues, like scheduling marriage registration or paying a traffic fine.
Taobao is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Four. Pitu: haul queen for a day
Photoapp Pitu (天天P图) is all the rage this year. Never before did a free photo app come with so many possibilities. Like the Meitu app (美图), which is also pretty good, Pitu is a camera and retouch app that offers a myriad of different filters to make you look your prettiest.
But there is much more: Pitu also permits you to play dress up with different makeup styles that look so real that is effortless to trick your friends into thinking you actually did your makeup like Lady Gaga or a Peking Opera starlet. Besides the pre-made makeup sets (under “cosplay”), you can also apply your own makeup and determine on colors of eye-shadow, hair and lips. The app has many different templates to create collages. The ‘cut-out’ section lets you use your face in different backgrounds. Trust us, this is the most entertaining photo app of 2015. You can also take a normal picture of your friends and later turn them into decent dragqueens (sorry!).
天天P图 is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
Five. MyIdol: you’ve never been this fabulous
MyIdol (小偶) is arguably one of the most joy apps around at this moment. The app permits users to take a picture of their face and then create their own 3D figure with a broad selection of different eye-colors, hairstyles, clothing and skin tones. You can then let your figure do several things, such as singing a popular song, wishing everybody a glad fresh year, playing the drums or falling asleep.
Albeit the app has been around for some time, it has been a rage lately – especially because the effects of the app are so well done. If you choose the right colors for skin, hair and eyes, combined with the right hair and garment, it is almost as if you are standing there singing yourself.
MyIdol is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from iTunes to Google Play or any other app store.
6. DragonFly FM: detect China’s radio
Dragonfly or Qingting FM (蜻蜓FM) is a top-ranking radio app that offers hundreds of channels from across China, from national to local levels. The app lets users choose from its most popular channels or by category: music, news, audiobooks, comedy, entertainment, opera, etc. A flawless app for anyone who wants to detect China’s most popular music or for those who want to practice their Chinese.
Qingting is free and is available for iOs and Android users, link to app here .
7. DouPai: featured in a Chinese news broadcast
DouPai is an original movie app where individual photos can be placed in pre-made scenes. Always wished to be featured on the Chinese news? This is your chance. The app, a product of three hundred sixty Mobile, has a broad range of different scenes. Different from the MyIdol app, this app also permits two users to be in the same scene together; like two tigers holding forearms in the forest, for example. It’s the app you know you always desired.
Doupai is free and is available for Android users, app link here .
8. Blued: the ultimate gay app
Blued is a social network app for gays. It is a product of China’s gay website Danlan , that was launched eight years ago. Blued was added as a mobile app in 2012. It can be compared to gay dating app Grindr; users can look for other users based on their location and scan their profiles or string up out in a chatroom. Users can privately connect through talk and arrange a date if there is mutual interest.
The app has over fifteen million users. In December 2014, the company received thirty million US dollars from American investors. Three million of Blued’s users are located outside of China.
Blued is free and is available for iOs and Android users, from Google Play or any other app store.
9. Chef’s Table: play restaurant at home
The luxury of restaurant food in the convenience of one’s own home – this is what the fresh Chinese app ‘Good Chef’ (好厨师) offers. ‘Good Chef’ permits users to search for specialized cooks based on their location and food preference, and hire them to come and cook in their own home kitchen. As online services like Uber are rapidly gaining popularity all over China, the app’s home cooking service has become a hot business.
‘Good Chef’ was launched in September two thousand fourteen and operates in Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Its formula is ordinary; users can indicate what kind of food they like (Hunan cuisine, Sichuan style, Shandong food, etc.) and browse the different chefs that can be hired to cook for them in their area. Afterwards, users can rate the chefs with one to five starlets and leave a comment about their practice. The system generates a list of top-rated chefs.
As Chinese website Wabei reports , over 20,000 people ordered a chef to cook in their home during the Chinese Fresh Year period. The company presently employs three hundred twenty chefs on full-time basis. Founder Xu Zhiyan (徐志岩) has exposed that the start-up company recently raised five million USD from investors. The money will be used to expand to more cities in China and invest in product development.
The app is available for both iPhone and Android: www.chushi007.com .
Ten. Expression Factory: be your own emoticon
The expression factory (表情工厂) has been on the market for fairly some time but has remained relatively unknown. The app lets users take a picture of their face, and then use it to create hundreds of different emoticons – from Japanese sumo wrestlers to insane nurse. The emoticons can be exported to QQ, Weibo or Weixin, where they will be saved to use every time you feel like sending someone your personalised smooches or farts.
表情工厂 is free and is available for iPhone and Android users. If you cannot directly download on iPhone it might be because you’re outside of China, you can attempt to download online and then transfer via iTunes.
[button link=”http://www.twitter.com/whatsonweibo” type=”icon” icon=”heart” newwindow=”yes”] Go after us on Twitter[/button]
– Appreciate this article and want to help us pay for the upkeep costs of What’s on Weibo? You can do so here! Every penny helps.