Subscription accounts will no longer be called subscription accounts

Recently, WeChat has made some adjustments to these features, making the boundaries between subscription accounts and official accounts clearer. This article will take you through WeChat’s latest revisions, explore what these changes mean for user experience and official account operators, and the possible business considerations behind these adjustments.

There is a question that some friends have always been confused about: what is the relationship between subscription accounts, public accounts, and service accounts?

Recently, we found that WeChat has taken the initiative to help you distinguish between the three, and subscription accounts will be equivalent to public accounts in the future. The original WeChat subscription account has now been redesigned, and the display effect of the message box on the WeChat homepage has been changed from subscription account to public account.

So far, this change has only been seen in the Android version of WeChat. The iOS version is not affected, so it may be an internal test function of the new Android version.

According to the official definition, subscription accounts, service accounts, corporate WeChat accounts and mini-programs are collectively referred to as public accounts.

In the public's perception, public accounts are generally regarded as a general term for subscription accounts and service accounts. However, the two seem similar but have their own differences. But just these two are enough to make many people confused.

This internal beta test of Android has redefined the official account. Now the official account only represents the functions of the original subscription account.

Some observers have suggested that WeChat may be trying to narrow the definition of public accounts, simplify users' knowledge and understanding of public accounts, and allow users to more intuitively identify and access public account content on the WeChat homepage, reducing users' cognitive burden. Public accounts will only represent channels for individuals or organizations to convey consultations to users. The original general definition of public accounts may be replaced by the WeChat public platform.

Some people also said that this change may also be an adjustment of WeChat on the road to commercialization. WeChat may gradually integrate the functions of subscription accounts and service accounts to gradually reduce the functional differences between the two and provide users with a more unified service experience.

The reason for this conclusion comes from the recent changes in some of WeChat’s commercial adjustments.

First, the commercial functions of service accounts have been continuously compressed. In 2022, service account messages can be rejected with one click. In 2023, the commercial functions of service accounts will be further compressed, and the service account folding function will be internally tested. Only by clicking into the service account message box can the detailed content of the service account be viewed.

Second, there are more and more WeChat components that can undertake services, and there is a trend of transitioning services from service accounts to WeChat stores and mini-programs.

At this time, the significance of service accounts is dispensable. Further narrowing the definition of public accounts will be more conducive to unifying users' understanding of public accounts, that is, public accounts = subscription accounts.

At the same time, by adjusting the classification and display methods of official accounts, it will also encourage the production and dissemination of more high-quality content and provide more possibilities for future business cooperation and advertising.