WeChat 5.2 upgrade takes up the ante for social scenes with 6 new features that will help you make the sunny season your best summer ever.

Summer is officially here! ‘Tis the season of traveling and adventure, of having fun under the sun, of swimming, biking, boating, surfing, paragliding, white water rafting, camping, and other outdoor activities that you can think of.

Summer is also brimming with various social scenes like music festivals, food fairs, new clubs, sporting events, and pop-up markets across the country. As more of these are about to come our way, you can count on WeChat’s 5.2 upgrade for Android and iOS to match your energy for these affairs, as it is boosted with new features that will help you breeze through your activities while you’re on the go.

1. Menu Bar

More convenient and sorted to fit the habits of smartphone users, WeChat 5.2 opens to a clearer interface which has its many features compartmentalized into three sections: Chats, Discover, and Contacts. Chats lets you continue with your current conversations, while Contacts allows you to start new exchanges with your friends. For the rest of your favorite, fun features, one tap of the Discover tab easily takes you to your Moments feed as well as options including Scan QR Code, Shake, People Nearby, Drift Bottle, Games, and Sticker Shop.

2. Friend Radar

If you’re attending events with a fresh set of buddies, WeChat’s Friend Radar feature can automatically identify other users within the vicinity and give you the option to add them to your contact list with one tap of their images. This crosses out the fuss of having to exchange little details and gives you more liberty to continue chatting with your newfound clique. Whether you’re in La Union for a yoga-surf-flow retreat or in Cebu for a festival, Friend Radar accessed through the Menu Bar > Add Contacts does the digital friend-scanning for you, as you connect with the same people in person.

3. Real-time Location-sharing

Planning to go bazaar-hopping with a group of friends for the weekend? Never leave anyone behind and keep everyone in the loop by using WeChat’s Real-time Location-sharing feature. Invite your friends to share where they are and help them navigate their way on the WeChat map and through an integrated walkie-talkie session. Simply open a chat > + > Locations > Real-time Location > to view one another’s maps.

4. Group Chat Photo Album

If you want to upload photos in your social networking accounts but having problems scrolling through endless chats, WeChat’s 5.2 has the solution for you. With the integration of a Group Chat Photo Album, photos shared in your group chat—whether for skating trips in the metro or diving sessions at Palawan—are arranged by date and then stored in one location accessed through one tap of the Photo Album icon.

5. Universal Search

Don’t worry if you forgot that important date or name in a chat conversation. With WeChat’s Universal Search feature, you can quickly refer back to any message or contact by typing into the search field within the Chats tab.

6. Contact List Customization

Reveling in social setting such as Bonifacio Global City or 71 Gramercy can build up your contact list as quick as a wildfire. Manage your networks by with WeChat’s Contact List Customization feature, which gives you the option to add photos, addresses and business cards to your friends’ profiles.

Apart from these updates, WeChat 5.2 for Android also comes with enhanced versions of its staple features. Among these include more animated stickers from Sticker Shop which capture your experiential responses; Group Chat Mention Notifications which will notify you when your name is mentioned in a Group Chat; boosted quality for Video and Audio Chats; and a LinkedIn Account in WeChat which lets you grow your professional circle. All of this, complemented with the new, easy-to-use interface means more possibilities for your social life. To upgrade now and for the latest updates, visit www.wechat.com.

WeChat is available free for download on Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Symbian and Windows operating systems. Learn more about WeChat and download the app at www.wechat.com and like WeChat Philippines Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/WeChatPH.