Apple finds itself once again at the center of a conflict with major Chinese corporation Tencent over their WeChat app. Since May, the American tech company has been trying to get Tencent to fix a loophole that allows users to bypass App Store fees when paying for in-app purchases. The loophole is used by more than a billion people every day, resulting in lost profits for Apple. In case of non-compliance, Apple has threatened to ban WeChat updates and even remove it from the App Store.

A similar situation happened with another Chinese corporation ByteDance and their app Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok). Apple managed to get its way by threatening to ban updates.

The conflict between Apple and Tencent has been going on for three months. It is expected that the companies will be able to reach a compromise, as WeChat is the most popular application in China. It combines the functions of a messenger, social network and many mini-apps, including services for ordering food and cabs, buying plane and movie tickets, renting bicycles and providing government services. WeChat also has a built-in WeChat Pay wallet for mobile payments, making it an integral part of Chinese users' daily lives. Chinese people can get by without iPhones, but WeChat plays a key role in their daily lives.

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