As more people around the world use smartphone messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line and WeChat to communicate with each other, the companies running those apps are offering additional features to retain users.

随着世界各地越来越多的人使用WhatsApp、Line和微信(WeChat)之类的智能手机通讯应用相互交流，运营这些应用的公司纷纷推出附加功能以留住用户。

WhatsApp, developed by a Mountain View, California-based startup, this week launched a new feature that simplifies the process of sending recorded voice messages. A similar feature helped WeChat, a massively popular text-and-chat app in China, expand in domestic and overseas markets.

由加州山景城(Mountain View)一家初创公司开发的WhatsApp上周发布新功能，简化了发送录制语音信息的过程。在中国广受欢迎的信息及聊天应用微信正是凭借类似的功能在国内外市场扩张。

WhatsApp users are already able to record a “voice note” and send it as a message, but the new Voice Messages service makes it easier to do so, and comes with additional functions such as notifying the sender that the recipient has heard the message.

WhatsApp的用户已经可以录制“语音留言”并以信息方式发送，但新的“语音信息”(Voice Messages)服务让它可以更容易地做到这一点，而且还有一些附加功能，比如在接收者听到信息后通知发送者。

The move by WhatsApp marks a rare moment in which an app developed in the U.S. is making more prominent a feature that first rose to popularity on a Chinese mobile product.

WhatsApp的举措标志着一个少有的时刻，即美国开发的一款应用更为重视最先在一款中国手机产品中流行开来的功能。

Voice messaging has long been a defining feature of WeChat, since Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd.TCEHY -0.80% launched the app in January 2011. Line, another messaging app developed in Japan, started offering a voice messaging service in April last year, according to the Tokyo-based company.

自中国互联网巨头腾讯控股(Tecent Holdings Ltd.)于2011年1月发布微信以来，语音信息一直是其最具标志性的功能。Line则是在日本开发的通讯应用，据这家位于东京的公司说，从去年4月就开始提供语音信息服务。

WhatsApp’s voice messaging upgrade comes at a time when competition in the smartphone messaging app category is intensifying. In Asia, WhatsApp faces fierce competition from other locally developed messaging apps, which are also trying to expand even beyond the region. Meanwhile, social network giant Facebook, which initially expanded as a PC-based service, has been upgrading its stand-alone mobile messaging app launched in late 2011.

WhatsApp的语音信息升级正值智能手机通讯应用的竞争加剧之际。在亚洲，微信面临着其他本地开发通讯应用的激烈竞争，后者也试图在该地区之外实现扩张。与此同时，最初以基于PC的服务扩张的社交网络巨头Facebook一直在升级其2011年底发布的独立移动通讯应用。

Tencent said in March that WeChat which is called Weixin in China ─ had 194 million monthly active users in the country. Last month, the company said that WeChat’s registered users outside of China had topped 70 million. Line, meanwhile, said last month that it had 200 million registered users world-wide.

腾讯今年3月说，微信在中国国内的月活跃账户达到1.94亿。上个月，该公司说微信在中国境外的注册用户超过7,000万。与此同时，Line上个月说，其在全世界拥有2亿注册用户。

WhatsApp said in June that it had more than 250 million monthly active users.

WhatsApp今年6月说，月活跃账户超2.5亿。

This week, WeChat announced the latest upgrade, which included new features such as the “Hold Together” function, which allows users who happen to be in the same neighborhood to find and connect with each other by simply pressing a button.

上周，微信宣布了最新的升级，包括“按住按钮，添加身边的朋友”等新功能，该功能可以让刚好在同一个地方的用户可以找到彼此，然后按住一个按钮就能互相添加好友。

As messaging apps expand services to take up more of smartphone users’ time, a broader range of activities from videogames to online shopping ─ are starting to take place within the apps. Both WeChat and Line have photo-sharing services and offer games. WeChat said this week that it will open the Sticker Shop, where users can purchase virtual stickers of cute cartoon characters that they can send as messages. Line already sells such stickers.

随着通讯应用扩充服务，占据智能手机用户的更多时间，从视频游戏到网络购物的众多活动也开始在这些应用中进行。微信和Line都有照片分享服务，也都推出了游戏。微信上周说，将推出表情商店，用户可以购买由可爱的卡通人物做出的虚拟表情，并在信息中发送。Line已经有这类表情出售。