Recently, while revisiting old articles, Old T reminisced about the days of tinkering with QQ logins and felt a wave of nostalgia. Phone calls? You can dial anyone globally—a China Mobile number to China Unicom connects instantly, no barriers. But chat apps? WeChat, Douyin, DingTalk, Weibo, QQ—each is a “walled garden,” ignoring one another. So why do phones work seamlessly while chat apps don’t?
Why Can Phones Connect Freely?
The global interoperability of telephone systems appears to stem from standardized protocols, such as those established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), enabling seamless technical integration. But Old T believes there are deeper reasons behind this.
First, telecom operators, especially the major ones in China, are largely state-owned enterprises, like China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. These “national teams” bear social responsibilities and aren’t purely commercial entities. Telephony, as critical infrastructure, affects national welfare and livelihoods, necessitating interconnection. Old T looked into telephone history and found that early telephone networks also had operators acting independently—for instance, AT&T in the U.S. once blocked other phone companies from its long-distance network. However, it soon became clear that non-interoperability incurred high social costs, leading to public outcry. Regulatory intervention eventually resolved the issue. Additionally, the telecom industry is highly monopolized, with few players, making coordination relatively straightforward. Once agreements are signed and networks linked, a global telephone web forms.
Moreover, telephony is a classic infrastructure service, akin to water, electricity, or gas. Its core service is “connection,” not content as a competitive edge. Operators profit from call and data fees, with little incentive to restrict content. Conversely, interoperability expands user bases and increases revenue. Thus, technical standards + social responsibility + monopolistic coordination + infrastructure nature collectively enable seamless phone communication.
Old T recalls around the year 2000, when his family first installed a landline in a remote village, they could call distant relatives and friends on any network—Mobile or Unicom—without a second thought about the complexity behind it. That’s the charm of infrastructure: You don’t notice it, but it just works.
Why Don’t Chat Apps Interconnect?
In contrast, internet chat apps are a different story. WeChat, Douyin, DingTalk, Weibo, QQ—each operates like an independent kingdom, refusing to interact. On the surface, it’s a technical issue: incompatible protocols, varying encryption methods, and potential security vulnerabilities if forced to interconnect. But Old T thinks the root cause lies in commercial interests and ecosystem isolation.
Chat app companies profit from user data and ecosystems. WeChat has Moments, Official Accounts, and Mini Programs; Douyin is backed by ByteDance’s advertising empire; Weibo thrives on fan culture. These platforms’ core isn’t “connection” but “user retention.” Opening APIs would mean pushing users away—who would do that? Old T once wrote an article about QQ login and was deeply moved. Tools like Gaim (later Pidgin), which could run on a USB system, were powerful—allowing simultaneous logins to QQ, MSN, and Yahoo Messenger—practically magical! Instango could access various chat apps while being incredibly data-efficient. There were also numerous webim tools like meebo, imtata, and imhaha, enabling multi-app logins directly in browsers—super convenient. Sadly, these tools eventually died out, primarily because chat apps repeatedly altered their interfaces and closed off access. These experiences taught Old T that chat app isolation isn’t a technical hurdle but a deliberate choice.
In recent years, platforms have become even more closed. Posting Taobao or JD.com links on Douyin might lead to throttling or account bans, labeled as “inducing third-party platform transactions” or fraud. WeChat is slightly better; after the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) mandated unblocking external links in 2021, Taobao links can now open directly, but sharing remains awkward, often requiring copied “Taobao commands.” Simply put, it’s all about interests. Internet giants guard their traffic pools tightly, unwilling to divert users to competitors.
Old T feels that chat apps and online platforms today resemble telecom operators: both have monopolistic or semi-monopolistic traits and some state capital involvement (e.g., Tencent and Alibaba have state-owned shareholders). However, unlike operators, chat apps’ core is content and ecosystem—data is their lifeblood. Opening up would mean cutting their own flesh. So, while technically feasible, it’s commercially undesirable.
Can We Break Down the Walls in the Future?
After posing the seemingly silly question—“Why can different telecom operators call each other, but chat apps can’t talk?"—in a tech WeChat group, Old T knew positive feedback would be scarce. Yet, he remains optimistic about the future, believing the internet must evolve to be “human-centric”! Technologically, open standards like XMPP and Matrix already exist, supporting decentralized chat. If major companies adopted these, interoperability could happen instantly. Regulators are also stepping up—MIIT’s push to unblock external links, and the EU’s Digital Markets Act forcing Facebook and Apple to open interfaces.
Here, Old T particularly wants to discuss AI’s potential. In future internet interoperability, AI could be a game-changer! First, AI can act as a “protocol translator,” converting content formats between platforms—e.g., transforming Douyin messages into WeChat-readable ones. Second, AI can optimize cross-platform experiences, predict user needs, and handle encryption and privacy issues. More positively, AI can reshape business models. These giants could profit not by locking in users but by offering AI services—like smart recommendations, privacy protection, and cross-platform collaboration—maintaining revenue streams.
Old T envisions a scenario: a future “super chat butler” AI assistant that gathers all your platform info in real-time—WeChat Moments updates, QQ group chats, Weibo follows—all consolidated into one interface. Want to chat with an old friend on QQ? Type a message in the AI, and it auto-forwards, handling format compatibility and privacy encryption. If the recipient uses Douyin messages, the AI bridges the gap, ensuring accurate delivery. You could even search “that video my boss posted last week” in the AI, and it pulls results across platforms instantly. This not only saves effort but breaks down walls, returning communication to its essence: connecting people, not platform captivity. In fact, some smartphone makers are already advancing here. Old T recently saw a Xiaomi HyperOS demo: using built-in AI voice control to open Douyin, find a specific video under Lei Jun’s account, like it, and comment.
Of course, Old T acknowledges the challenges. Commercial conflicts are the biggest hurdle—giants guard data fiercely. Technically, protocol unification, privacy security, and user experience must be balanced. Regulation must keep pace to prevent corporate dominance. But Old T believes that interoperability, as an obvious legitimate demand, will gain more attention in the future. For instance, WeChat and QQ could fully integrate—they’re from the same company, so why the division?
Some Reflections
Writing this, Old T can’t help but recall the 2000s internet era—the golden age of “internet spirit” and “open-source ethos”! Cooperation, sharing, and innovation propelled humanity into the information age. Yet, undoubtedly, this spirit of sharing and openness has faced setbacks. Old T remembers a tech blog post earlier this year titled “Artificial Intelligence, State Actors, and Supply Chains,” which noted that 99% of global software relies on open-source, 97% of applications use open-source code, and over 90% of companies depend on open-source software daily. Recently, the open-source world has faced significant challenges, with rising uncertainties, and some internet giants exploit open-source in name while exercising control, fragmenting the internet and raising walls ever higher.
Old T feels that, much like in The Wandering Earth, humanity should unite. In the AI era, we need to reclaim the open-source spirit and build an “internet community with a shared future.” Just like the telephone system, setting aside self-interest for cooperation and win-win outcomes. Users, developers, companies, and governments must jointly promote standardization and openness, with AI aiding bridging. Otherwise, thicker walls mean more user burden and less innovation. May the future return to its roots, making the internet truly interconnected.