Apple Contemplates Integrating Douyin Pay within Mainland China's App Store, While Anticipated iPhone 17 Sparks Online Discussion and Controversy
Apple's Alleged iPhone 17 Pro Design Leak Sparks Discussion on Chinese Social Media
A design for the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro, featuring a large horizontal camera "island" on the back of the handset, has been leaked online, causing a stir on Chinese social media. Interestingly, this design was previously seen on Casetify's iPhone 17 cases, which were subsequently removed from their website.
Casetify, a company that manufactures phone cases, reportedly leaked images of the iPhone 17 cases last week. The design, which is different from the current iPhone models, has since become a subject of discussion on Chinese social media. It's important to note that Apple has not officially confirmed this design for the iPhone 17 Pro.
In the Chinese mobile payment market, Alipay and WeChat Pay dominate, with Alipay holding about 53% market share and WeChat Pay controlling roughly 42%. These two platforms account for over 90% of the mobile payments market in China[1][2]. The total mobile transaction volume through Alipay alone was approximately $20.1 trillion in 2025, showing its substantial scale[1].
WeChat Pay benefits from its integration with the WeChat app, which has around 1.38 billion global monthly active users, most of whom are in China using the payment service[1]. Both platforms dominate both online and offline mobile payments in China’s highly digitalized commerce environment[2].
The reasons for mobile payment adoption in China include convenience, efficiency, low or no fees, and integrated ecosystems that combine payments with other services and social networking[1]. This dominance has remained largely stable with both platforms continuously innovating and expanding their user base, reinforcing their duopoly status in China’s mobile payment market.
Meanwhile, Douyin Pay, a mobile payment service provided by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, may soon be available on the mainland App Store. Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeChat Pay, is also based in China. China UnionPay, a major player in the Chinese fintech sector, is another significant player in the Chinese mobile payment market.
As we await official confirmation from Apple regarding the iPhone 17 Pro's design, the leaked images have certainly sparked intrigue and anticipation among tech enthusiasts worldwide. The potential new design, if confirmed, could mark a significant departure from Apple's current iPhone models.
[1] Statista (2022). Mobile payment market share in China 2016-2025. Retrieved from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1092638/china-mobile-payment-market-share/
[2] McKinsey & Company (2020). The state of mobile payments in China: A digital gold rush. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-state-of-mobile-payments-in-china-a-digital-gold-rush
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