Super Apps

Read an article on CNBC – “Why U.S. tech companies struggle to replicate China’s WeChat ‘super app’ model“, and there are assertions in that article that I cannot really relate to. For example: “We’re all sick of the dozens of apps on our phones“. Well, I am not. I have different apps for different purposes. And I don’t see how a “Super App” will fix that. Instead of 46 different app icons on your phone screen, you will have – what? A single app that you start, and then select through 46 different icons or menus in that app?

“A one-stop shop to socialize with friends, order food, pay rent, or even consult with a doctor” – Yes, the phone OS is my super app, and it has the benefit of being quite customizable – by the virtue of allowing me to download new apps or delete old ones that I no longer use. Like the social media app that I using today is different than the one I was using a year ago, and they are both different from what I used a year before.

And as for the integration – I can’t think of any meaningful integration between my banking app and my social media app – what, I would have it auto-post “Received paycheck today, happy me!”?

Yes, I have to log in to each app separately, but that can be made convenient by using fingerprint, or the OS auto-populate passwords, and has the benefit of added security that if one of your service passwords is leaked, the other services are not compromised (You should always use different passwords for different services, right?)