An invite-only test with minimal official notes
WeChat for HarmonyOS has reached version 8.0.23.38 (build 8394534) via Huawei AppGallery, according to IT之家. Installation is invite-only: users must receive an SMS and use the download link. The indicated test window runs from November 13 to December 13, 2026. As in the past, the release notes are limited to the fixed wording about resolved known issues, without listing functional changes.
This arrangement effectively shifts the communication of new features outside official channels: the source attributes most of the reports to bloggers @伤心萨摩耶Ciuciu and MeoW, who described features observed in the 8.0.23 family and not necessarily in build 8.0.23.38 alone. IT之家 explicitly specifies that the list is not limited to this version, an indication that reduces certainty about what actually arrives with the update under test.
AI assistant, reading and notifications: the reported features
Among the reported new features are several integrations with the AI service referred to as Xiaowei, which in Italian can be translated as internal assistant. The described functions include automatic summarization of public account articles, summarization of web links and documents in chats, the ability to ask questions about messages and images, and use of the assistant during scanning. Many of these items, however, are subject to a gradual rollout by user segments and to minimum versions, in some cases 8.0.23.35: they are therefore not available to all testers.
In terms of day-to-day management, bloggers report improvements to notifications: for muted groups, it would be possible to keep alerts for mentions, announcements and specific members, while settings would add seven notification sounds and connected-device management with security verification for the new authentication. Changes are also cited to Group Payments, with invoice and history import, and to the official accounts area, with additional information on subscription and authorizations. These are third-party statements, not an official list, and the source presents them as being progressively rolled out.
What remains to be verified
The most solid point is the availability of the test build on AppGallery with a stated deadline. Still to be confirmed, however, are the actual rollout of individual features, their persistence in the stable version, and the distinction between new features in 8.0.23.38 and changes already present in previous builds. The source also notes that some items are bug fixes, such as a defect in the chat image interface fixed in 8.0.23.33, and that others derive from server-side updates. Without detailed official notes, the list should be treated as a user reconstruction and not as release documentation.
