WeChat for HarmonyOS has rolled out a new beta version, 8.0.22.16 (8394256), exclusively available through Huawei’s App Gallery. Users who have received an invitation via SMS can access this update, which is part of a controlled testing phase running from September 20, 2026, to October 20, 2026.
Key Features and Improvements
While the official changelog simply states “fixed some known issues,” user feedback reveals a host of new functionalities and enhancements in this beta release. These include:
- Personal Profile: My Invoice Header: A new section has been added to personal profiles for managing invoice headers.
- Chat Interface Date/Time Display: Users can now tap the time in the chat interface to toggle between date, day of the week, and time views.
- Service Account Notification Management: An option, “Remind me as important notification when receiving private messages,” has been added to the notification settings within service account homepages.
- Friend Information Enhancement: The “More Information” section for contacts now includes a “Remarks” field, allowing users to add notes, phone numbers, tags, memos, and photos for each contact.
- Video Channel Settings: Personal centers in the Video Channel now feature a new toggle to enable or disable recording of recently watched videos.
- Updated “Likes and Collections”: The “Likes and Collections” section in the Video Channel personal center has been renamed to “Likes, Collections, and Recently Watched.”
- Live Stream Sharing: A new “Recommend to Friends” option has been added for sharing live streams.
- Game Cache Cleaning: Under Settings > General > Storage Space > Clear Cache, a new option to clear game cache has been introduced.
WeChat’s Growth on HarmonyOS
WeChat officially launched on the Huawei App Gallery for HarmonyOS in January 2025, bringing essential features like basic communication, social networking, WeChat Pay, official accounts, mini-programs, Video Channel, and live streaming to the platform. The app has seen significant adoption, with its installation count surpassing 70 million in August of this year, reaching a latest reported figure of 79.18 million installations. This beta update signifies continued development and refinement of the WeChat experience on Huawei’s proprietary operating system.
