Last modified: 2025-11-18
Welcome to WeChat!
Your use of WeChat is subject to these Terms of Service (these "Terms"). Thank you for reviewing these Terms – we hope you enjoy using WeChat. If you have any questions about, or if you wish to send us any notices in relation to, these Terms, please contact us by going to “Me” -> “Settings” -> “Help & Feedback” from within WeChat or by visiting help.wechat.com.
Compliance with These Terms
By using WeChat, you are agreeing to be bound by these Terms between you and:
| International Dialling Code of the Phone Number Linked to your Account | Contracting Entity | Address |
|---|---|---|
| If the international dialling code of the phone number linked to your account is in any country other than the UK, EEA or Switzerland (as defined below) or People's Republic of China (excluding Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macao) (“China Mainland”) | WeChat International Pte. Ltd. | 10 Anson Road, #21-07 International Plaza, Singapore 079903 |
| If the international dialling code of the phone number linked to your account is in United Kingdom, European Economic Area or Switzerland (“UK, EEA or Switzerland”) | Tencent International Services Europe BV | Buitenveldertselaan 1-5, 1082 VA Amsterdam, the Netherlands |
(in each case, “we”, “our” and “us”).
We may specify in certain of our WeChat service-specific terms that you are contracting with one of our affiliate companies (instead of WeChat International Pte. Ltd. or Tencent International Services Europe BV, as applicable) in relation to your use of the relevant WeChat service or feature to which the relevant service-specific terms apply. Where this is the case, the relevant contracting entity will be identified in the relevant WeChat service-specific terms. These Terms (including those relevant service-specific terms) will apply between you and that identified contracting entity in relation to your use of the relevant WeChat service or feature. Please review these Terms and our policies and instructions to understand how you can and cannot use WeChat. You must comply with these Terms in your use of WeChat and only use WeChat as permitted by applicable laws and regulations, wherever you may be when you use them. In some countries, there are restrictions on your use of WeChat – it is your responsibility to ensure that you are legally allowed to use WeChat where you are located, and certain WeChat functionalities may not be available in some countries.
By using WeChat, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use WeChat.
These Terms contain provisions governing how claims can be brought between you and us (see Section 18 and Schedules 1 and 3 of the Addendum below). If you are a WeChat user residing in the United States, Schedule 1 of the Addendum below, entitled “United States-Specific Terms,” requires you to resolve all disputes with us on an individual basis and, with limited exceptions, through final and binding arbitration, rather than in court. Schedule 1 of the Addendum also explains how you can opt out of this arbitration agreement in some circumstances. Please read these provisions carefully.
Other Users
These Terms only apply to you if you are a WeChat user, meaning that you have registered by linking a mobile number that uses international dialling codes other than +86 (a “non-China Mainland mobile number”).
These Terms do not apply to you if you are a Weixin user. You are a Weixin user if you either:
If you are a Weixin user, you are subject to the Weixin Agreement on Software License and Service of Tencent Weixin (the “Weixin Terms of Service”) and not to these Terms.
You can also check whether you are a WeChat or Weixin user by clicking “Me” > “Settings” > “About” and then clicking the link to the “Terms of Service”. If you see the WeChat – Terms of Service then you are a WeChat user. If you see the Agreement on Software License and Service of Tencent Weixin then you are a Weixin user.
If there is a subsequent change in the international dialling code of the phone number linked to your WeChat or Weixin account (either from a China Mainland mobile number to a non-China Mainland mobile number, or vice versa), your account will be converted to either a WeChat or Weixin account (as the case may be), and you will be prompted to agree to the corresponding terms of service (either for WeChat or Weixin, as the case may be). You shall also be subject to, and shall abide by, any relevant laws and regulations that apply to the use of the new account (which may be different from those that applied prior to the conversion). If you convert your Weixin account to a WeChat account, these Terms apply to you from the date our system records such conversion. If you convert your WeChat account to a Weixin account, these Terms cease to apply to you from the date our system records such conversion. This function is intended to ensure we provide you with the features and services that are most relevant to your account. Any conversion shall also be in accordance with these Terms and any other applicable platform rules and regulations, and accounts which attempt to abuse this function (for example, by frequent switching) may have their access restricted in accordance with these Terms.
INTEROPERABILITY WITH WEIXIN
WeChat is interoperable with Weixin, such that you are able to communicate with Weixin users and view each other's Moments and Status in accordance with the applicable terms. You may also be able to use certain features operated by Weixin. Use of those features is subject to the relevant Weixin Terms of Service or service agreement applicable to such feature. For more details, please see below.
Other General Terms in Relation to These Terms
If you are under the age of 13 (or such applicable legal minimum age in your jurisdiction), you must not use WeChat for any purpose without first obtaining your parent or guardian’s agreement to these Terms (both for themselves and on your behalf).
If you are using WeChat on behalf of a company, partnership, association, government or other organisation (your “Organisation”), you warrant that you are authorised to do so and that you are authorised to bind your Organisation to these Terms. In such circumstances, “you” will include your Organisation.
We may translate these Terms into multiple languages. If there is any difference between the English version and any other language version of these Terms, the English version will apply (to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations).
A diverse range of services and features are available within or via WeChat, and not all of these services and features are operated by us. There are additional terms and policies that may be applicable to your use of all or part of WeChat (the "Additional Terms"). For those services and features that we operate, we will notify you of the Additional Terms from time to time, including as set out in this section and otherwise from time to time within WeChat. These Additional Terms all form part of and are incorporated into these Terms.
If you are using any services or features operated by a third-party (including Weixin), your use of those services or features will be subject to the terms that apply to that particular service. Please contact the relevant third-party if you are unsure what terms apply to that particular service.
WeChat Policies
The following policies are Additional Terms that you must comply with in using WeChat:
Terms Applicable to Specific WeChat Features
Some of the services and features available within or via WeChat have Additional Terms specific to their use. You must comply with such Additional Terms (as well as these Terms) in your use of such services and features. Such service-specific Additional Terms include:
Additional Country-Specific Terms
If you are a resident of the following countries or regions, the country-specific Additional Terms contained in the Addendum below will also apply to your use of WeChat:
Inconsistencies
Subject to the next paragraph and except as otherwise expressly specified within these Terms or any Additional Terms – to the extent that any Additional Terms conflict with these Terms, the relevant Additional Terms will apply to the extent of the conflict.
Changes to These Terms
We may make changes to these Terms (and any applicable Additional Terms) over time (for example, to reflect technical improvements and changes to WeChat (for example, to address a security threat) or applicable laws and regulations (for example, to reflect applicable consumer rights)), so please come back and review these Terms regularly.
Where we consider that such changes are material, we will (where reasonably practicable) notify you (on this page or the relevant page for the relevant additional terms or policy, via the WeChat app, by direct communication to you, or other means), prior to such changes becoming effective. By continuing to use WeChat after we make any changes to these Terms, you are agreeing to be bound by the revised Terms.
Changes to Services and Features
As WeChat and user experiences are constantly evolving, we may from time to time:
You agree that we may take any such actions at any time. Where we consider that any changes to WeChat or any services or features accessible within WeChat are reasonably material, we will (where reasonably practicable) notify you (via https://www.wechat.com, direct communication to you, on this page or the relevant page for the relevant additional terms or policy, or other means), prior to such changes becoming effective.
You need to create an account with us in order to access and use WeChat. Any account that you open with us is personal to you and you are prohibited from gifting, lending, transferring or otherwise permitting any other person to access or use your account. Your account name, user ID and other identifiers you adopt within WeChat remains our property and we can disable, reclaim and reuse these once your account is terminated or deactivated for whatever reason by either you or us.
You are responsible for:
We may allow you to register for and login to WeChat using sign-on functionalities provided by third-party platforms, such as Facebook or Apple. You agree to comply with the relevant third-party platform's terms and conditions applicable to your use of such functionalities (in addition to these Terms).
From time to time, certain products or services within WeChat may be subject to payment (including for the provision of WeChat or provision of certain additional features within WeChat). We may set out further terms applying to such payments (including in relation to refunds (if any), billing arrangements and any consequences of failing to make timely payments). You must comply with all such terms in relation to your payments to us for such products or services. You agree that you are solely responsible for all fees and taxes associated with any such payments. and that pricing and availability of Items and products are subject to change at any time.
If such products or services are subject to automatic, recurring or subscription-based charges, then you agree that (subject to applicable laws and regulations):
We may change any fees that we charge for WeChat (or any parts of WeChat) at any time upon publication within WeChat. If you do not accept such change to the fees, we may be unable to provide WeChat (or the relevant part of WeChat) to you.
SUBJECT TO MANDATORY APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OR AS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED BY US IN THESE TERMS OR FOR A PARTICULAR ITEM OR SERVICE WITHIN WECHAT, IN NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL WE BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE A REFUND FOR ANY PAYMENTS MADE BY YOU TO US IN RELATION TO ANY ITEMS OR SERVICE WITHIN WECHAT (WHETHER USED OR UNUSED).
If you believe that we have charged you in error, and subject to applicable laws and regulations:
When you submit, upload, transmit or display any data, information, media or other content in connection with your use of WeChat (“Your Content”), you understand and agree that:
In addition, you agree that we and our affiliate companies (subject to these Terms, our WeChat Privacy Policy and applicable laws and regulations):
You understand that even if you seek to delete Your Content from WeChat, it may as a technical and administrative matter take some time or not be possible to achieve this – for example, we may not be able to prevent any third-party from storing or using any of Your Content that you have made public via WeChat. Further information on your rights in relation to Your Content are set out in our WeChat Privacy Policy.
We reserve the right to block or remove Your Content for any reason, including as is in our opinion appropriate, as required by applicable laws and regulations or in accordance with the Copyright Policy and WeChat Acceptable Use Policy. We reserve the right to determine the visibility, status, or rank of Your Content on WeChat.
Responsibility for Your Content
You are solely responsible for Your Content. We are not responsible for maintaining a backup of Your Content - we recommend that you keep a back-up copy of it at all times.
You must at all times ensure that:
We comply with the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act applicable to Internet service providers (17 U.S.C. §512, as amended) (the "DMCA"). If you have an intellectual property rights-related complaint about any content posted in WeChat, please follow the instructions set out in our Copyright Policy.
General
When you use WeChat you may be able to access content from a variety of sources – it may be content posted by other users of WeChat, content provided by third parties that operate Weixin Official Accounts or Mini Programs, content you see in advertisements prepared by third parties, or any other third-party content made available or accessible when using WeChat (together we refer to all of this content as “Third-Party Content”).
All Third-Party Content must comply with our policies, as well as applicable laws and regulations. If we receive a complaint, or become aware of a concern, regarding Third-Party Content, then we may review that Third-Party Content. We may take action to ensure the Third-Party Content complies with our policies, or if it is considered to have violated our policies, we may remove or refuse to make available or link to it. This may be, for example, if the Third-Party Content is considered by us, or is alleged, to infringe intellectual property rights, is determined to be obscene, defamatory or abusive, if it violates any rights, or if it poses any risk to the security or performance of WeChat.
You should remain vigilant when accessing, using or consuming Third-Party Content. We cannot review all Third-Party Content prior to it being posted, so if you believe any Third-Party Content is inaccurate, misleading, defamatory, offensive or unlawful please let us know immediately. Please also remember that Third-Party Content, as well as any other information or content accessible via WeChat that is not posted by you, may be owned by a third-party, and just because you have accessed content on WeChat does not mean you have any rights in or to any such content. You should always respect the rights of others when using WeChat – if you would like to use content in a particular way you should always seek permission from the relevant rights holder.
The WeChat platform also provides access to a variety of third-party products and services – such as Mini Programs made available on the Weixin Mini Programs Platform; Official Accounts; Service Accounts; websites provided, made available, advertised or linked through WeChat (including any of WeChat's associated platforms or services); and other products and services offered or advertised by third parties. These products, services and websites are operated by third parties, so we are unable to guarantee their quality, reliability or suitability. If you use or interact with these third-party offerings then you should direct any questions, complaints or queries to the relevant third-party who operates that offering, as we bear no responsibility for your use of those offerings, or any relationship you may enter into with any such third parties (including any payment obligations or fees that you may incur in your use of such third-party offerings).
Offerings made available by third parties, or Third-Party Content, may also be subject to further terms from that third-party – for example, terms from the relevant third-party that originally produced or created such content or service, terms in relation to promotional activities being held on WeChat, terms relating to your use of third-party-provided WeChat login functionality, or terms governing your use of any Mini Programs provided by a third-party. You are solely responsible for reviewing and complying with any such third-party terms and conditions.
We have the right to remove, at our sole discretion and without notice to you, any content, programs and/or services that are made available within WeChat (including any of WeChat's associated platforms or services), in accordance with these Terms.
WeChat is interoperable with Weixin, such that you are able to communicate with Weixin users and view each other's Moments and Status in accordance with the applicable terms. You may also be able to use certain features operated by Weixin. You may view the list of features operated by Weixin here. Please note that when you interact with a Weixin user, or use or receive notifications from any feature operated by Weixin (together "Interoperable Interaction"), the Weixin users you interact with are not subject to these Terms, and instead are subject to the Weixin Terms of Service and the Standards of Weixin Account Usage meaning that we will share your information with Weixin to the extent necessary to facilitate your Interoperable Interaction and your information may be retained, shared and/or stored by Weixin in a different manner to what is described in these Terms or the WeChat Privacy Policy. You can read about how Weixin operates, and how Weixin retains, shares and stores information, in the Weixin Terms of Service and the Weixin Privacy Protection Guidelines. In addition, if your interaction with Weixin users potentially causes such Weixin users to violate the Weixin Terms of Service, Standards of Weixin Account Usage and any other applicable laws and regulations, Weixin may at its discretion, restrict or limit the interoperability of Weixin with WeChat, including restricting or limiting Weixin users from interacting with WeChat users.
Weixin Official Accounts, Service Accounts and Mini Programs
The Weixin Official Account, Service Account and Weixin Mini Program functions accessible via WeChat are China Mainland services provided by Weixin. The content in such Official Accounts, Service Accounts and Mini Programs are registered, developed, operated, and owned by third parties unrelated to WeChat or Weixin (unless otherwise stated in the relevant Official Account or Mini Program). When you interact with such Official Accounts, Service Accounts and Mini Programs, your use of the relevant Official Accounts, Service Accounts and Mini Programs will be subject to those third-party developer's own terms for the relevant Official Account, Service Account or Mini Program and not these Terms.
Weixin Pay
If you are a Weixin Pay user, you may be able to access Weixin Pay via the WeChat platform. Weixin Pay is operated by a China Mainland licensed entity and the use of Weixin Pay service is subject to the Weixin Pay User Service Agreement.
WeChat may include advertising or commercial content. You agree that:
All intellectual property rights in or to WeChat and any WeChat Software (including any future updates, upgrades and new versions to all such WeChat Software), will continue to belong to us and our licensors. Except as expressly provided in these Terms, you have no right to use our intellectual property rights, including our trademarks or product names, logos, domain names or other distinctive brand features, without our prior written consent. Any comments or suggestions you may provide regarding WeChat are entirely voluntary and we will be free to use these comments and suggestions at our discretion (including using such comments to improve existing services or create new services) without any payment or other obligation to you.
We grant you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, non-transferrable, royalty-free and revocable right to use WeChat and any software from us as part of or in relation to your use of WeChat (any such software being the "WeChat Software"), solely in accordance with these Terms and subject to any other instructions as provided by us to you in relation to your use of WeChat and/or the WeChat Software from time to time. Please note that these terms may be supplemented by terms and conditions applicable to WeChat Software (or specific features within WeChat Software).
You may not copy, modify, create derivative works, reverse compile, reverse engineer or extract source codes from WeChat Software, and you may not sell, distribute, redistribute or sublicense WeChat or the WeChat Software, except in each case to the extent that we may not prohibit you from doing so under applicable laws or regulations or you have our prior written consent to do so. Where applicable laws or regulations entitle you to reverse compile or extract source codes from WeChat Software, you will first contact us to request the information you need.
We may from time to time provide updates to WeChat Software. Such updates may occur automatically or manually. Please note that WeChat Software may not operate properly or at all if upgrades or new versions are not installed by you. We do not guarantee that we will provide any updates for any WeChat Software, or that such updates will continue to support your device or system. All updates to the WeChat Software are part of the WeChat Software and subject to these Terms, except as otherwise specified by us.
For the purposes of these Terms, “WeChat Software” includes any items, content or features (the "Items") within the WeChat Software – for example, Stickers, games or other downloadable items within WeChat, and any content accessed or used by you within WeChat. You must comply with any Additional Terms applicable to any such Items. We will notify you of any such additional terms and conditions within WeChat, within an Appendix to these Terms and/or in another manner. We may grant you a limited right to use these Items upon payment by you of "real world money" as applicable from time to time. You acknowledge that you do not own these Items and the amounts associated with such Items do not refer to any credit balance of real currency or the equivalent. We may eliminate these Items from WeChat at any time, and we have no liability to you in the event that we exercise these rights.
For the purpose of these Terms, "WeChat Software" also includes any APIs we make available to you for use in connection with WeChat or the WeChat Software. You must comply with any Additional Terms applicable to such APIs.
We may in our discretion provide technical support for WeChat (whether for free or for a fee). We provide technical support without any guarantee or warranty of any kind, and subject always to these Terms.
Certain WeChat Software may contain software that are subject to “open source” licences (the “Open Source Software”). Where we use such Open Source Software, please note that:
In order for us to provide WeChat to you, we may require virtual access to and/or use of your relevant device (e.g. mobile phone, tablet or desktop computer) that you use to access WeChat – for example, we may need to use your device's processor and storage to complete the relevant WeChat Software installation, or we may need to access your contact list to provide certain interactive functions within WeChat.
We will provide further information regarding how WeChat uses and accesses your device within WeChat or in another manner (e.g. via the relevant app store as part of the installation process for WeChat on your device). You agree to give us such access to and use of your device, and you acknowledge that if you do not provide us with such right of use or access, we may not be able to provide WeChat (or certain features within WeChat) to you.
Any Personal Information (as defined in the WeChat Privacy Policy) that we use or access within your device will be treated in accordance with these Terms, including our WeChat Privacy Policy.
You may need an adequate internet connection in order to authenticate your WeChat account or use WeChat. You may also be required to activate certain functionalities within WeChat in the manner described within WeChat. You may not be able to use certain functionalities within WeChat if you do not comply with such requirements.
Please note that we are not responsible for any third-party charges you incur (including any charges from your internet and telecommunication services providers) in relation to or arising from your use of WeChat or WeChat Software.
You are solely responsible for any software (whether your own software or software supplied by third parties) used by you in connection with your use of WeChat, including any third-party software or services made available to you through WeChat, such as Mini Programs made available on the Weixin Mini Programs Platform ("Third-Party Software").
Please note that we are not responsible for and are not liable for any damages or losses arising from your use of the Third-Party Software and we do not endorse, support or guarantee the quality, reliability or suitability of any Third-Party Software. You must comply with any terms and conditions applicable to Third-Party Software.
We do not provide any technical support for any Third-Party Software. Please contact the relevant supplying third-party for such technical support.
You will need an adequate internet connection in order to authenticate your WeChat account or use WeChat. You may also be required to activate certain functionalities within WeChat in the manner described within WeChat. You may not be able to use certain features within WeChat if you do not comply with such requirements.
Please note that we are not responsible for any third-party charges you incur (including any charges from your internet and telecommunication services providers) in relation to or arising from your use of WeChat or WeChat Software.
We warrant to you that we will provide WeChat using reasonable care and skill.
APART FROM THIS WARRANTY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS, WECHAT (INCLUDING ANY WECHAT SOFTWARE) IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS AND NEITHER US NOR ANY OF OUR AFFILIATE COMPANIES MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OR GIVE ANY UNDERTAKING IN RELATION TO WECHAT, ANY WECHAT SOFTWARE OR ANY DATA, MEDIA OR OTHER CONTENT SUBMITTED, TRANSMITTED OR DISPLAYED BY WECHAT, INCLUDING:
Amount
TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF US AND OUR AFFILIATE COMPANIES FOR ALL CLAIMS IN CONNECTION WITH THESE TERMS, OR WECHAT (INCLUDING ANY WECHAT SOFTWARE), ARISING OUT OF ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, WILL BE LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF THE FOLLOWING AMOUNTS:
THE AMOUNT THAT YOU HAVE PAID TO US FOR YOUR USE OF WECHAT OR WECHAT SOFTWARE TO WHICH THE CLAIM RELATES IN THE 6 MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE MOST RECENT CLAIM; AND
USD100 (ONE HUNDRED US DOLLARS).
Damages and Losses
TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS, IN NO EVENT WILL WE OR ANY OF OUR AFFILIATE COMPANIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY OF THE FOLLOWING:
Exclusions
Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes any of the following liabilities, except to the extent that such liabilities may be waived, limited or excluded under applicable laws and regulations:
NOTWITHSTANDING ANY OTHER PROVISIONS OF THESE TERMS, NOTHING IN THESE TERMS LIMITS OR EXCLUDES ANY OF YOUR STATUTORY RIGHTS IN YOUR JURISDICTION (INCLUDING ANY RIGHTS UNDER APPLICABLE CONSUMER PROTECTION REGULATION), TO THE EXTENT SUCH STATUTORY RIGHTS MAY NOT BE EXCLUDED OR WAIVED UNDER APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS.
YOU AGREE THAT YOU (AND YOUR ORGANISATION, IF YOU ARE USING WECHAT OR WECHAT SOFTWARE ON BEHALF OF SUCH ORGANISATION) INDEMNIFY US AND OUR AFFILIATE COMPANIES FROM AND AGAINST ANY CLAIM, SUIT, ACTION, DEMAND, DAMAGE, DEBT, LOSS, COST, EXPENSE (INCLUDING LITIGATION COSTS AND ATTORNEYS' FEES) AND LIABILITY ARISING FROM:
As set out in the "Third-Party Content and Services" and "Third-Party Software" sections of these Terms, various third parties may provide certain content, services or software within WeChat.
THESE TERMS GOVERN THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND US (AND, WHERE RELEVANT, OUR AFFILIATE COMPANIES). YOUR DEALINGS WITH ALL THIRD PARTIES (INCLUDING THOSE FOUND THROUGH, PROMOTED THROUGH, ACCESSED VIA HYPERLINK THROUGH OR OTHERWISE THROUGH WECHAT), ARE SOLELY BETWEEN YOU AND THE RELEVANT THIRD-PARTY. SUBJECT TO MANDATORY APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS, WE AND OUR AFFILIATE COMPANIES HAVE NO LIABILITY TO YOU IN RELATION TO ANY THIRD PARTIES (INCLUDING ANY CONTENT, SERVICES OR SOFTWARE PROVIDED BY SUCH THIRD PARTIES WITHIN WECHAT), NOTWITHSTANDING YOUR ENGAGEMENT WITH ANY SUCH THIRD PARTIES THROUGH WECHAT.
These Terms will apply to your use of WeChat until your access to WeChat is terminated by either you or us.
You may terminate your use of WeChat, or any of the services accessible therein, at any time (including if we have told you about an upcoming change to all or part of WeChat or these Terms which you do not agree to). If the terminated service is a paid service, we may deduct from any refund a reasonable proportion of such fee as compensation for the costs incurred by us in ending the relevant service.
We may suspend or terminate your access to your account or any or all of WeChat:
If we suspend your access to any or all of WeChat then, to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction:
If your access to WeChat is terminated (in whole or in part) by you or us, you agree that:
Retention and back-up of Your Content
Following termination of these Terms, we will only retain and use Your Content in accordance with these Terms and, to the extent Your Content includes Personal Information, the WeChat Privacy Policy. Subject to the WeChat Privacy Policy and applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction, where we suspend or terminate all or part of WeChat, or where your access to WeChat is terminated by you or us, we do not guarantee that we will be able to return any of Your Content back to you and we may permanently delete Your Content without notice to you at any time after termination. Please ensure that you regularly back up Your Content.
Governing Law
These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms will be governed by the laws of Singapore without regard to its conflict of law principles and not including the provisions of the 1980 U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
Mandatory Arbitration
Any dispute, controversy or claim (whether in contract, tort, or otherwise) arising out of, relating to, or in connection with these Terms, including their existence, validity, interpretation, performance, breach, or termination, will be referred to and finally resolved by arbitration administered by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre under the Arbitration Rules of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre in force when the Notice of Arbitration is submitted. The seat of the arbitration will be Singapore. There will be one arbitrator only. The arbitration proceedings will be conducted in English.
Mandatory Informal Resolution
You and we agree that, before either party initiates any legal proceedings, the parties will first attempt to informally resolve their dispute. You shall notify WeChat of your intent to initiate the informal dispute resolution process by emailing noticeofdispute@wechat.com. The notice must contain the WeChat ID, name, telephone number, mailing address, and e-mail address of the initiating party, a factual description of the nature and basis of the dispute, the amount that the party is seeking for resolution of the dispute, and the personal signature of the party (a copy of which may be submitted via e-mail). An informal dispute resolution conference is to be held within sixty (60) days of such notice, unless an extension is mutually agreed upon by the parties. Any statute of limitations will be tolled while the parties try to resolve issues through this informal process. The informal dispute resolution conferences shall be individualized; multiple individuals initiating claims cannot participate in the same informal dispute resolution conference, unless mutually agreed to in writing by the parties. If a party is represented by counsel, the party’s counsel may participate in the conference, but both parties shall also fully participate in the conference. If the parties cannot resolve the issue within 60 days of the notice, either party can initiate the arbitration process.
Participating in this informal dispute resolution process is a requirement that must be fulfilled before commencing arbitration or any other legal proceeding. An arbitration or any other legal proceeding shall be dismissed if it was filed without fully and completely complying with these informal dispute resolution procedures.
Exceptions
Notwithstanding the above terms of this “Governing Law and Dispute Resolution” section:
Entire Agreement
Subject to the applicable laws and regulations in your jurisdiction, these Terms (including the incorporated Additional Terms) set out the entire agreement between you and us in relation to WeChat – you agree that you will have no claim against us for any statement which is not explicitly set out in these Terms. The words "include" and "including" are to be construed without limitation.
Severability; Waiver
The invalidity of any provision of these Terms (or parts of any provision) will not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision (or the remaining parts of that provision). If it is held that we cannot enforce any part of these Terms as drafted, we may replace those terms with similar terms to the extent enforceable under applicable laws and regulations, without changing the remaining terms of these Terms. No delay in enforcing any provision of these Terms will be construed to be a waiver of any rights under that provision.
Survival
Any rights and obligations under these Terms which by their nature should survive, including any obligations in relation to the liability of, or indemnities (if any) given by, the respective parties, and any dispute resolution clause, will remain in effect after termination or expiration of these Terms.
Transfer and Assignment
No person other than you and us will have any right to enforce these Terms, whether pursuant to the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 2001 (Chapter 53B) of Singapore or otherwise, and you may not delegate, assign or transfer these Terms or any rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior consent. We may freely assign or transfer these Terms or our rights and obligations under these Terms, in whole or in part, without your prior consent or prior notice to you.
Sub-contracting
We may freely sub-contract any part of our performance of these Terms at any time, without your prior consent or prior notice to you.
SCHEDULE 1: UNITED STATES-SPECIFIC TERMS
If you are a user of WeChat residing in the United States, the terms contained in this Schedule 1 (this “Arbitration Agreement”) are incorporated into these Terms and expressly and entirely replace the above “Governing Law and Dispute Resolution” section of these Terms.
Scope of Arbitration Agreement
You and we agree that all disputes, controversies, or claims (whether in contract, tort, or otherwise) arising out of, relating to, or in connection with these Terms or your use of WeChat, or any aspect of your relationship with us (“Disputes”), shall be resolved by binding arbitration, rather than in court, in accordance with this Arbitration Agreement, except (1) you may assert individual claims in small claims court in the county in which you reside if the small claims court has jurisdiction (which issue should be decided by that court); (2) any request for public injunctive relief will be litigated in court after finishing arbitration of the remaining claims, as discussed below in the paragraph entitled “Waiver of Class, Consolidated, and Representative Actions; Severance of Public Injunctive Relief”; (3) a court may enter injunctive relief to enforce the pre-filing mandatory informal resolution requirements as provided below in the paragraphs entitled “Mandatory Informal Resolution”; and (4) a court may enjoin the filing of an arbitration seeking to apply a prior arbitration agreement as provided below in the paragraph entitled “Opt-Out of Modifications.” This Arbitration Agreement shall apply, without limitation, to all Disputes that arose, accrued, or were asserted before, on, or after the effective date of these Terms or this Arbitration Agreement, whether based on past, present, or future events.
Governing Law
These Terms and any Dispute will be governed by Delaware law, without regard to conflict of law principles, except the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) governs all issues related to arbitration, including the interpretation and enforcement of this Arbitration Agreement. You and we agree that the activities in these Terms relate to foreign and interstate commerce.
Mandatory Informal Resolution
You and we agree that, before either party initiates a legal proceeding, the parties will first attempt to informally resolve their Dispute. Either party shall notify the other party of its intent to initiate the informal resolution process for a Dispute by sending a written notice of the Dispute (“Notice of Dispute”). You shall send your Notice of Dispute to noticeofdispute@wechat.com. If we have a Dispute with you, we will send a Notice of Dispute to the contact information we have in our files for you. The Notice of Dispute must contain the name, telephone number, mailing address, and e-mail address of the initiating party, the WeChat ID at issue, a factual description of the nature and basis of the Dispute, the amount and any other remedy that the party is seeking for resolution of the Dispute, and the personal signature of the party. The parties will negotiate in good faith for sixty (60) days after either you or we receive a Notice of Dispute that complies with all of these requirements. A non-compliant Notice of Dispute does not start the 60-day informal resolution period. The parties shall hold an informal dispute resolution conference (telephonic or video) within the 60-day informal resolution period, if either party requests one. Any statute of limitations will be tolled while the parties try to resolve issues through this informal process. The informal dispute resolution conferences shall be individualized; multiple individuals initiating claims cannot participate in the same informal dispute resolution conference, unless mutually agreed to in writing by the parties. If you are represented by counsel, your counsel may participate in the conference as well, but you agree to fully participate in the conference. If you choose to have your counsel attend the conference, our counsel may attend the conference, but we will also have a company representative fully participate in the conference.
Participating in this informal dispute resolution process is a requirement that must be fulfilled before commencing any legal proceeding. A legal proceeding shall be dismissed if it was filed without fully and completely complying with these informal dispute resolution procedures. In particular, if either of us commence an arbitration without first having sent a compliant Notice of Dispute and complying with other informal dispute resolution procedures described above (including participating in an informal dispute resolution conference if either party requests one), the arbitration provider has no jurisdiction over the Dispute and shall administratively close the Dispute. If the arbitration provider fails to close such Dispute, a court may enter injunctive relief to enforce the informal dispute resolution requirements, including an injunction to stay any arbitration that has been commenced in violation of these requirements.
Arbitration Forum and Rules
If you and we are unable to come to informal resolution, you and we agree to binding individual arbitration before Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (“JAMS”) under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules & Procedures, available at https://www.jamsadr.com/rules-streamlined-arbitration/, or, if applicable, its Mass Arbitration Procedures and Guidelines, available at https://www.jamsadr.com/mass-arbitration-procedures, and pursuant to the terms of this Arbitration Agreement. The fees and costs of the arbitration will be borne by the parties according to the then-applicable JAMS Schedule of Fees and Costs. JAMS may also be reached at 800.352.5267 for further information. The terms in this Arbitration Agreement govern to the extent they conflict with JAMS rules.
Any arbitration hearing will take place virtually or in the county where you live, unless we both agree to a different location. The arbitrator shall be a retired federal judge. The arbitrator shall have the authority to consider and grant dispositive motions and will apply the standards of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure governing such motions. Except as expressly provided in the paragraphs entitled “Mandatory Informal Resolution” and the paragraph entitled “Opt-Out of Modifications,” the arbitrator, and not any federal or state court or agency, shall have exclusive authority to decide all issues relating to the validity, interpretation, applicability, scope, or enforceability of this agreement to arbitrate, including, but not limited to, the arbitrability of any Dispute and any claim that all or any part of this Arbitration Agreement is void or voidable, to the extent permitted by applicable law. The arbitrator shall make a decision in writing, which will include the findings and conclusions on which the decision is based. The arbitrator has the authority to issue any relief allowed by applicable law, but the arbitrator shall have no authority to issue any relief on any basis other than an individual basis. The arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by that party’s individual claim.
Demand for Arbitration
A party who wishes to start arbitration must submit a written demand for arbitration to JAMS and give notice to the other party as specified in JAMS rules. The demand for arbitration submitted by either you or us must identify the WeChat ID at issue, the claim(s) asserted, factual basis for the claim(s), and relief and/or remedy sought. The demand for arbitration must be personally signed by the party seeking arbitration. A failure to follow these filing requirements shall be a basis for dismissal of the demand for arbitration, including by a Process Administrator, as defined in JAMS Mass Arbitration Procedures and Guidelines. By signing any demand for arbitration, the signing party certifies to the best of its knowledge, information, and belief, formed after an inquiry reasonable under the circumstances, that (i) the demand for arbitration is not being presented for any improper purpose, such as to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or needlessly increase the cost of dispute resolution; (ii) the claims and other legal contentions are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law or for establishing new law; and (iii) the factual contentions have evidentiary support or, will likely have evidentiary support after a reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery. The arbitrator shall be authorized to afford any relief or impose any sanctions available under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11 or any analogous state law for either party’s violation of this requirement.
Offer of Judgment
In the arbitration proceedings, a party may serve a written offer of judgment on the other party to allow judgment on specific terms at least ten (10) days before the date set for the arbitration hearing. If the offer is accepted, the offer with proof of acceptance shall be submitted to JAMS, which shall issue an award accordingly. If the offer is not accepted prior to the arbitration hearing or within thirty (30) days after it is made, whichever occurs first, it shall be deemed withdrawn and cannot be given as evidence in the arbitration, other than with respect to costs. If the judgment that the other party finally obtains is not more favorable than the unaccepted offer, then the other party shall pay the costs incurred after the offer was made, to the extent such cost-shifting is not prohibited by applicable law or JAMS rules, provided that the arbitrator shall have discretion to release you from the obligation to cover our costs in circumstances of financial hardship.
Grouped Arbitrations
To the extent permitted by applicable law and notwithstanding any other provision of this Arbitration Agreement, if fifty (50) or more claimants represented by the same or coordinated counsel file demands for arbitration raising substantially similar Disputes, those coordinated filings are considered “Mass Arbitrations” under JAMS Mass Arbitration Procedures and Guidelines, and you and we agree that the following additional procedures shall apply: (1) once counsel representing you in the Mass Arbitrations has submitted at least 50 compliant demands for arbitration to JAMS and the Process Administrator has heard and determined preliminary and administrative matters in accordance with JAMS Mass Arbitration Procedures and Guidelines and this Arbitration Agreement, the parties shall cooperate to organize the demands for arbitration into randomized groups of 50 claimants each (plus, to the extent there are fewer than 50 claimants remaining, a final group consisting of the remaining claimants), with each group proceeding as a single consolidated arbitration (a “Grouped Arbitration”) and with a single arbitrator presiding over each group; (2) for each Grouped Arbitration, the arbitrator presiding over that group shall decide all common issues of fact and law first—including considering and granting dispositive motions under the standards of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure governing such motions—before proceeding to deciding individual factual and legal issues and issuing individualized final awards; (3) within each Grouped Arbitration, discovery shall be consolidated and coordinated; and (4) no final award from an arbitrator shall have preclusive effect in another arbitration; an order in a Grouped Arbitration, however, may be shared for its persuasive value in related Grouped Arbitration proceedings.
Appeals
If the arbitration involves a request for an injunction or monetary relief that exceeds one million U.S. dollars (USD 1,000,000)—or in the case of a Grouped Arbitration, individual monetary relief that exceeds thirty thousand U.S. dollars (USD 30,000)—then either party shall have the right to appeal any award on such request for relief to an arbitration appellate panel. Appeals of individual awards within a Grouped Arbitration shall proceed as a single consolidated appeal before one arbitration appellate panel. The notice of appeal must be served, in writing, on the opposing party within fourteen (14) days after the award has become final. Notice of appeal in a Grouped Arbitration may be served on the parties’ respective arbitration counsel. JAMS shall administer the appeal consistent with JAMS Optional Appeal Procedures, available at https://www.jamsadr.com/appeal/.
Waiver of Class, Consolidated, and Representative Actions; Severance of Public Injunctive Relief
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED ABOVE IN THE PARAGRAPH ENTITLED “GROUPED ARBITRATIONS,” CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS, CLASS ARBITRATIONS, COLLECTIVE ACTIONS, PRIVATE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ACTIONS, AND ANY OTHER PROCEEDING WHERE SOMEONE ACTS IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY ARE NOT ALLOWED, NOR IS COMBINING INDIVIDUAL PROCEEDINGS WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF ALL PARTIES. YOU AND WE AGREE NOT TO ACT IN THE CAPACITY OF A NAMED PLAINTIFF, CLASS REPRESENTATIVE, OPT-IN PLAINTIFF, CLASS MEMBER, OR OTHERWISE PARTICIPATE IN ANY CAPACITY IN A CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING AGAINST THE OTHER PARTY. THIS PROVISION DOES NOT PREVENT YOU OR US FROM SETTLING CLAIMS ON A CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE BASIS. AS STATED IN THE PARAGRAPH ENTITLED “SCOPE OF ARBITRATION AGREEMENT” ABOVE, YOU AND WE BOTH AGREE TO SEVER ANY REQUEST FOR PUBLIC INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AND LITIGATE THAT ISSUE IN COURT AFTER FINISHING ARBITRATION FOR THE REMAINING CLAIMS (INCLUDING ALL ISSUES OF LIABILITY).
Waiver of Jury Trial
EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF WECHAT.
Venue
For Disputes that are not subject to arbitration as expressly set forth in this Arbitration Agreement or as required by applicable law (other than small claims actions), the exclusive venue shall be the federal courts located in the State of California. If those courts do not have subject matter jurisdiction, then the exclusive venue shall be the state courts in the State of California. You and we consent to the jurisdiction of such California courts for purposes of such proceedings.
Opt-Out of Modifications
If you have previously agreed to arbitrate with us, you may opt out of the modifications to your prior arbitration agreement made by this Arbitration Agreement by sending us written notice no later than thirty (30) days after the effective date of this Arbitration Agreement. Opting out of this Arbitration Agreement has no effect on any previous, other, or future arbitration agreements that you may have with us, and all other parts of these Terms will continue to apply to you. To be effective, your written notice must be sent to noticeofdispute@wechat.com and must include your name, mailing address, WeChat ID, the phone number used to set up your account, and an unequivocal statement that you want to opt out of this Arbitration Agreement. This written notice must be dated and personally signed by you, and not any attorney, agent, or other representative of yours. Should you not opt out within the 30-day period in accordance with this procedure, you and we shall be bound by the terms of this Arbitration Agreement in full. You and we agree that if you do not opt out in accordance with this procedure but either you or we commence an arbitration and seek to apply an arbitration agreement between you and us that predates this Arbitration Agreement, either you or we may seek injunctive relief in court, and a court may enter injunctive relief enjoining the filing of arbitration under the prior agreement.
Severability
If the class action waiver in the paragraph entitled “Waiver of Class, Consolidated, and Representative Actions; Severance of Public Injunctive Relief” is found to be illegal or unenforceable as to all or some parts of a Dispute, then those parts will not be arbitrated but will proceed in court, with the rest proceeding in arbitration. If any other provision of this Arbitration Agreement is found to be illegal or unenforceable, that provision will be severed, but the rest of these provisions regarding arbitration still apply.
If you are a user of WeChat in Australia, the below Additional Terms: (a) are incorporated into these Terms; (b) apply to your use of WeChat; and (c) override the head terms of these Terms to the extent of any inconsistency.
All express or implied guarantees, warranties, representations, or other terms and conditions relating to these Terms or their subject matter, not contained in these Terms, are excluded from these Terms to the maximum extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations.
Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts or modifies any guarantee, warranty, term or condition, right or remedy implied or imposed by any applicable laws and regulations which cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified.
If any guarantee, condition, warranty or term is implied or imposed by any applicable laws and regulations and cannot be excluded (a “Non-Excludable Provision”), and we are able to limit your remedy for a breach of the Non-Excludable Provision, then our liability for breach of the Non-Excludable Provision is limited to one or more of the following at our option:
If you are a user of WeChat and located in the United Kingdom or European Union, the below Additional Terms: (a) are incorporated into these Terms; (b) apply to your use of WeChat; and (c) override the head terms of these Terms to the extent of any inconsistency.
Refund of your purchases
If you have purchased and paid for a WeChat product or service provided by us (and not by any third parties), you may receive a refund for such purchase if we receive a refund request from you within 14 days from the date you completed the relevant purchase. If you have already used a portion of the relevant product or service, you will receive a refund for the unused portion only. In the case of a download or streaming product, you acknowledge that by proceeding to download or stream such product, you will not be entitled to a refund of such purchase.
We set out further information within the relevant WeChat services and applicable Additional Terms in relation to how you can submit your refund request.
Dispute Resolution – European Union Only
Notwithstanding the "Governing Law and Dispute Resolution" section of these Terms, if you reside in the European Union and are a "consumer" as defined under the EU Directive 83/2011/EU, any dispute, controversy or claim (whether in contract, tort or otherwise) between us and you, arising out of, relating to, or in connection with these Terms will be referred to and finally resolved by the court of your place of residence or domicile. You can also file a complaint at the online platform for alternative dispute resolution (ODR-platform). You can find the ODR-platform through the following link: https://ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
Loss or damage
If any WeChat services or features which we have supplied damages a device or digital content belonging to you and this is caused by our failure to use reasonable care and skill we will either repair the damage or pay you reasonable compensation for such damage. However, we will not be liable for damage which you could have avoided by following our advice to apply an update offered to you free of charge or for damage which was caused by you failing to correctly follow installation instructions or to have in place the minimum system requirements advised by us. We only supply WeChat and the services or features accessible via WeChat for domestic and private use. If you use WeChat or the services or features for any commercial or business purpose we will have no liability to you for any loss of profit, loss of business, business interruption, or loss of business opportunity.
DSA Single Point of Contact for EU Commission and Member State Authorities – European Union Only
In compliance with Article 11 of the DSA, we have designated a specific channel for communications regarding the DSA with relevant regulatory bodies. All such authorities should direct their DSA related inquiries and correspondence to dsa.enquiries@global.tencent.com. The email address serves as the single electronic point of contact for the European Commission, Member States’ Authorities, and the European Board for Digital Services concerning the DSA.
For effective communication, we request that all messages to this address include the following information:
DSA Single Point of Contact for users – European Union Only
In compliance with Article 12 of the DSA, our designated electronic single point of contact for users in the EU is: dsa.reach-us@global.tencent.com.
UK Online Safety Information – UK Only
Users in the UK can find out more information about how we protect users from illegal content, including the proactive technology we use and how we handle complaints, in our Community Guidelines.
If you are a Singapore user, unless you have provided your consent, or to the extent otherwise described in our Privacy Policy, we will only use your information for the following purposes:
