The past life of flying chat

[Guide] Since July 10, flying chat users will not be able to send and receive information from the letter, if users want to continue to fly with friends contact, need to download the latest Letter letter client.

Before long before the Tencent technology exposure mobile IM products to stop, the industry is concerned about the sudden warming, for flying chat about the cause of the speculation is flying, but the truth is often only one. In the in-depth conversation with Tencent technology, the staff of the flight chatted about the two main causes of "death": uncontrolled business access requirements and messy internal management.

The past life of flying chat

Since July 10, fly chat users will not be able to send and receive information from the letter, if the user wants to continue to contact with flying friends, need to download the latest Letter letter client. In other words, although the Fly Chat product form will still exist, but mobile follow-up will stop all the development and input of the product, and no longer to the previous version of any updates and maintenance.

In accordance with the internal movement of the saying: "will not be directly announced to fly chat stop, so face is not good-looking, but also affect the user experience, may even be implicated in flying." Do not invest, do not update means that flying chat will naturally slowly die. ”

It is understood that flying chat and fly letter have been moved as a mobile internet strategy under the "fist products", within China Mobile's position is also of natural importance, the product by the Chinese mobile Group data Direct-led, commissioned the development of the Shenzhou Tai Yue, flying chat market speed, in China Mobile all mobile Internet products are the fastest.

As a "fist products", the development of flying chat has naturally experienced a tortuous and complex process. Public data show, flying Chat is launched on September 28, 2011 by China Mobile on the mobile phone network free voice messages, pictures and text, you can chat and group chat mobile phone communication software. And in the Tencent technology in-depth understanding found that before this time fly chat already exist, but at first not the name.

Investigation found that the development of flying chat has undergone two periods: the first period is from November 2010 to May 2011, by the responsible for mobile letter operations in the Shenzhou Thai Yue's wholly-owned subsidiary of the new media messaging independent development, was called "finger chat", and the reason for the development of this product is also due to two reasons: One was when mobile-letter-flying business had shown a weak state, and mobile devices were moving from Symbian to the iphone and Android.

China Mobile at that time to the mobile phone flying expectations and development has been more dissatisfied, and Kik class software just began to popular, in foreign countries are only millions users, which has caused a lot of concern in the industry, mobile also want to have a new smart platform to locate software. In addition, for the Shenzhou Tai Yue, it will be "snap-chat" as a reserve of its own products, for the follow-up of the upcoming letter of the letter contract to renew the chip.

The second period of flying chat is the introduction of mobile-led since September 2011. After nearly 4 months of assessment (May 2011 to September), "snap-chat" Finally get the recognition of mobile, and renamed as "Flying Chat" officially launched, and Shenzhou too Yue also wish to get the right to fly a letter.

Why did the move not in the original letter of the business on the upgrade and separate launch fly chat? According to internal staff, the main reason is that flying chat positioning in a letter of a derivative client, at that time the mobile phone letter weak state, used to carry the basic ability to fly a letter can enable ordinary users mobile phone with real-time accurate fixed-point push ability, this is also the notice to move always want to desktop functions, And the mobile letter can not do this------because users of the "online" This matter is too clear division, when not to exit.

Secondly, due to the form of products, fly Chat can be seamless across the mobile phone platform and operators, and the flying letter is not, this at that time Mobile TD development is not satisfactory when undoubtedly can expand more new users, and when flying chat future mature, can also be moved in the data business as a strategic entrance.

However, the fact does not move in the direction of the vision to develop, after experiencing the initial development of the passion, flying chat forced both internal and external issues began to decline gradually.

The real cause of the flying talk

Tencent Science and technology successively with a number of people in charge of flying chat at that time to talk about business, in their view, there are only two reasons for the failure: The revenue settlement of the new media has resulted in the uncontrolled acceptance of mobile demand, coupled with the initial over-reliance on provincial companies to promote the commitment to make a lot of resources Secondly, the management problem caused by the disconnection of internal coordination.

It is understood that the early development of flying chat, the product is basically completely autonomous, by the new media to make their own decisions, report mobile can be implemented. Through the Flying Letter Service cluster access, you can easily convert the user to fly chat, at the same time because the flight chat client experience is better, so at that time in various channels of Word-of-mouth is also good.

In addition, in the same period, flying chat and just adjust the mobile internet base of the relationship is also mainly reporting (before flying Fly Chat report object is mobile group data, mobile adjustment business framework, flying fly chat Business Attribution mobile Internet base management), and the provincial companies and other base business, At the moment there is no talk about flying too much attention, but also to protect the early flying chat a benign development.

From the flight chat internal as of March 2012 data shows that in the development of about half a year after the fly chat activated users reached about 4 million, the results can be said to be quite impressive. Today, more than a year later, the number of users has regressed by less than 3 million, and not active users.

According to the new Media messaging development plan, first, the first version of the online fast access to the ability to fly, and flying letter account to get through and across the operator; second, to increase the independent network free SMS ability to stimulate users to join the network quickly; third, based on the communication core to expand, provide three-dimensional communication methods, and began to join the social function; four, join the public Account (robot) system, in addition to the communication, to provide a friend half real-time and quasi real-time interactive functions, such as messages, expressions, poke and so on.

But in the third and part four, the question of flying is followed.

When the initial development of the chat and the trend of rising, mobile to fly chat product form also has enough understanding, so began to put forward some other mobile business access requirements. New media executives have promised too much to maintain relationships and ensure that subsequent contracts are signed, resulting in a period of flying talk that has been struggling to cope with the internal needs of mobile: for example, for user guidance and join strategies (139 mailbox clients that want to be moved), For the province company's business ability customization (want to increase mobile cloud Address Book function), for mobile service push function to join.

From a product standpoint, flying chat team as far as possible to avoid some of the unreliable requirements, but consumption has been generated, resulting in the initial determination of the flying Chat business capability framework needs to be changed or reconstructed, but the direct impact of the new release cycle is seriously long, the market exposure, and competition with competitors began to weaken.

There are internal staff recalled when the situation was helpless to say: "The premise of the business load not to consider the user experience, but data indicators, not only fly chat, the letter has not been developed and this has a great relationship." ”

In the face of the above problems, the new media also began to create differences within the messenger. One is to increase the intensity of flying chat, and eventually replace the mobile phone letter. One is to direct the fly chat to mobile base completely controlled by its own only to do support in exchange for the contract to renew the chips.

As the service is to maintain stability, so in the new media department has always belonged to a relatively independent team, and flying chat also followed this habit, business division on the fly chat although independent but still belong to the mobile phone under the letter of the business. After the initial service of the flight chat is basically stable, because of the differences, the service side is unwilling to expand the business capacity, only willing to do maintenance and ability upgrades, and flying chat products side of the more opposed to complete support, and hope to be able to maintain a rapid pace of the iteration, so that the internal formation of conflict, with the beginning of a disconnect.

Flying Chat The current outcome clearly shows that the internal conflict was won by the support of the other side, and that the opposing party was subsequently marginalized. According to people familiar with the matter, from the second half of last year, flying chat users showed a straight-line downward trend, the first 60-person flying chat team was gradually dispersed to the letter team, more than half of them chose to leave.

Later in the soft international won the letter of the mobile phone business, but also naturally gave up flying chat, also have a mobile official said by the impact of business changes to fly chat business adjustment. But outside also said that although fly chat stop service, but in flying letter on the loading of related functions such as voice, two business will be one. But the actual situation, the integration of multimedia function is already the general trend, voice intercom function early in the letter 2.0 version that there is, this is not a move for flying talk about failure to find a speech.