Messaging, web browsing, news in one app: Microsoft plans to create ‘super app’

Microsoft Corporation has considered the possibility of creating a "super app" that could include—among other things—app stores, a messaging service, news, web search, and many other services, The Information reported citing informed sources.

Creating such an app can be an ambitious step that will help expand the company's activities in consumer services. Moreover, such an app would help reduce the influence of Apple Inc. and Google-owned Alphabet Inc. in the mobile search industry.

Microsoft executives also wanted this app to help grow the company's multibillion-dollar advertising business and Bing search engine, as well as help more users start messaging through Teams and other mobile services.

This "super app" concept, which was popularized in Asia by Tencent Holdings and Grab Holdings-owned WeChat, has been described as the "Swiss Army Knife" of mobile apps; meaning an app that offers users a broad range of services such as messaging, social networking, etc.

There are few such apps in the West, but there is interest in them. Tesla Inc․ CEO Elon Musk, who is also the owner of Twitter, is planning to create a super app called "X" based on Twitter that will integrate multiple services.

It is not clear whether Microsoft will release such an app, but company CEO Satya Nadella insist that the Bing search engine should work better with Teams and Outlook.