According to a new report, Microsoft is working on a Super App that will combine many features and services into a single solution. This is the company{s push to create an “everything app” that will make Microsoft a player in the social media industry. However, there may already be a Microsoft candidate for “super app” and has this desire for a one-shop-stop app come from Microsoft's failure to buy TikTok or Discord?
Let's start by looking at what a super app is. This is essentially an app that combines all the features and tools a user would want. In many ways, the concept already exists. Facebook is something of a super app as Meta has thrown features at it and it is not a bloated service. I bet I could list 30 Facebook features and there would be at least 5 you have never heard of.
Microsoft is also toying already with the idea of a super app. Microsoft Teams is a super app within its niche. Microsoft has brought over 450 features to the app in the last year alone, at a rate of more than one per day. The Edge browser is another example as it has its fair share of bloaty useless features.
In China, WeChat is something of a quintessential example of a super app. It offers chat, social media networks, payment services, bill handline, live streams, ecommerce sites, news, games, marketing, and much more. Since 2011, WeChat has claimed over 1 billion. It is arguable that a super app is easy in China as outside services like Twitter, Google Search, and Instagram are not available.
Microsoft Super App
So, what will the Microsoft Super App look like? Well, The Information reports the company may combine its major divisions like MSN, Office, Xbox, LinkedIn, Windows, and Azure into a single app. It would provide a backend ad platform that can offer a central hub for search, news, shopping, social, communication, and more.
The report suggests Microsoft's failed attempts to buy TikTok or Discord drove the company towards creating its own app. It is worth noting that the central hub for Microsoft services is very similar to the existing Microsoft Start app.
That app launched in 2021 as the new hub for Microsoft News across Windows 11, iOS, Android, and the web. Microsoft Start is a dedicated news feed that is personalized to the specific user, similar to the MSN feed in Microsoft News.
However, Start also includes a converter, money, health, games, shopping, Buy Direct, OneDriver, video, and more. This sounds like a Super App, at least partially.
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