Alipay rolls out voice call feature with real-name display

by Song Jianan

Alipay, one of China’s largest mobile payment platforms with over 1 billion users, has introduced a new voice calling feature that displays the caller’s real name, expanding its efforts to build out social functions.

The feature is available in the app’s messaging section and allows users to place calls with toggles for speaker, microphone, and floating window mode. Calls are not recorded or stored, and all users are verified through Alipay’s real-name authentication system.

Real names appear beneath profile pictures during calls, a design intended to prevent confusion from nicknames and build trust—especially in scenarios involving payments or transactions. Users can choose to hide their real name in the app’s privacy settings.

Some users say the feature improves communication and increases confidence during financial exchanges, while others worry about privacy risks if they’re unaware of how to opt out.

The move is the latest in Alipay’s long-running effort to boost user engagement and expand beyond its core role as a payment tool. Since 2015, the platform has rolled out a range of social and content-oriented features—starting with “Life Circle” and “Friends” tabs, followed by features such as tipping and check-ins aimed at creating a scenario-based relationship graph. Many users, however, dismissed these additions as imitations of WeChat and review platform Dianping.

Later in 2016, Alipay introduced interest-based social groups to build community engagement. Some, like student or office worker diaries, briefly gained popularity but were shut down after controversies over inappropriate content, prompting a public apology.

In the following years, Alipay expanded its merchant services, enabling businesses to post updates and offer services directly in-app. By 2022, this content was moved to a central position in the interface and expanded to include short videos, livestreams, and influencer-produced lifestyle and finance content to boost user time spent on the app.

More recently, Alipay experimented with hobby-based discussion groups and algorithmic content recommendations to encourage casual interaction and user retention.

Despite these ongoing efforts, the platform has struggled to gain traction in social networking. Its strong identity as a financial tool and WeChat’s entrenched dominance in messaging continue to limit Alipay’s evolution into a full-fledged social platform.