Microsoft Might Soon Join the All-in-One “Super App” Bandwagon

Microsoft is coming up with a 'super app' to fight Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple dominance

Microsoft Corp recently considered building a "super app" that could include shopping, messaging, news, and web search services among others, a report revealed on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. Microsoft executives hope the smart app will boost the company's multibillion-dollar advertising business and Bing search.

According to the report, Microsoft plans to build a Super App to loosen the hold of Alphabet Inc's Google and Apple Inc on the mobile search space. Microsoft executives wanted the app also to enhance the company's multibillion-dollar advertising business and Microsoft's Bing search, as well as draw more users to Teams messaging and other mobile services, The Information reported. Microsoft did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. A super app, made popular in Asia by Tencent Holdings' WeChat and Southeast Asia's Grab Holdings, has been described as the Swiss army knife of mobile apps, offering a suite of services for users such as messaging, social networking, peer-to-peer payments, and e-commerce shopping.

The idea of an all-in-one app that combines a broad array of services under one umbrella and it seems exciting. The Asian tech giant Tencent does that – critics say it does a lot of things and none of them consistently well – with WeChat. Chinese readers and those of you who work closely with those based there will be familiar with the calling and messaging app, which also includes censored news, online shopping, and games, among services. WeChat apparently became a source of inspiration for Microsoft executives, according to those anonymous sources.

Tesla Inc Chief Executive Elon Musk, who recently became the new owner of Twitter, has shown interest in developing a super app named "X" that would combine a multitude of services. The report mentioned that it isn't clear whether the company would launch such an app, but Chief Executive Satya Nadella has pushed for the Bing search service to perform better with Teams and Outlook.