Refer China: WeChat's Latest Updates ： Smarter AI Search and Friend Deletion Changes

WeChat introduced 9 new features, with two standing out for regular users. AI search can now evaluate official accounts. More notably, deleting a contact no longer automatically erases chat history, allowing messages to be restored if the friend is re-added. Other updates focus on tools for creators and businesses within WeChat's ecosystem.

WeChat Adds 9 New Features — Be Careful When Deleting Friends Now

On February 10, the official WeChat Open Class account published a recap of nine WeChat updates released in January, quickly sparking widespread discussion online and pushing the topic to the top of trending lists.

But despite the long list, most everyday users will likely notice two changes first: a smarter AI search experience, and a surprisingly sensitive upgrade to friend management.

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1) AI Search Can Now "Evaluate" Official Accounts

WeChat's AI Search has added a new capability: users can type a prompt such as "Evaluate what XX Official Account is like", and the system will generate a structured summary based on the account's related articles and content.

For users, this is essentially a shortcut: instead of skimming dozens of posts to decide whether an account is worth following, the "first impression" can now be delivered in seconds.

2) Deleting Friends No Longer Has to Delete Your Chat History

This is the update that made many users go: "Wait—so I should be careful when deleting someone now?"

WeChat's friend management now allows you to choose whether to delete a contact while keeping chat history. If the option to clear records is not selected, the conversation history remains saved locally. And if you add the person back later, those past messages can reappear.

It's a subtle change, but socially it's huge: deleting someone used to imply a clean break. Now it can become more like "disconnecting"—with history preserved.

The Rest: Mostly Creator, Merchant, and Developer-Facing Tools

Several of the remaining updates are aimed less at everyday chatting and more at WeChat's broader ecosystem:

Video Accounts (Channels) got new monetization and commerce controls, including incentives for certain content formats and more flexible shopping-product timing in videos.

WeChat Shop introduced faster complaint pathways for brands dealing with suspected counterfeit listings.

Mini Programs & Mini Games received a bundle of growth and monetization upgrades—think incentives, traffic rewards tied to live-stream reservations, stronger ROI tools, and new social-sharing components designed to boost virality.

For most users, these won't change day-to-day messaging. But they signal WeChat's bigger direction: strengthening the "content + commerce + developer economy" layer behind the app.

Source: 新民晚报