WeChat users from China could now synchronize their Moments contents simultaneously to Facebook and Twitter, which are currently banned on the mainland.

The synchronization feature with Facebook and Twitter is now available not only to overseas WeChat users but also to Chinese domestic users, a move that indicates Tencent's desire to expand its user base inside and outside the Great Wall.

The function is now accessible for iPhone iOS users, while Android users should expect it anytime soon. To activate on the iPhone, users will need to connect their Facebook and Twitter accounts to their WeChat account. However, this has to be done through a virtual private network (VPN) in China, which remains to be a grey area. Before the synchronization function was rolled out, Moments could only connect to QQ, another popular messaging service of Tencent.

Moments, or locally known as Weixin, is a popular socializing function of WeChat that permits users to share information, photos, and articles with friends privately.

According to Wang Xiaofeng, a senior analyst from the Forrester Research, Tencent has been forced to open up its synchronization function, particularly for overseas WeChat users, to compete with the Western mainstream market.

 "Now WeChat is more mature in its international strategy by focusing on Chinese tourists, Chinese overseas, and working with companies outside of China who want to reach Chinese consumers in China, as well as Chinese tourists," Wang told the South China Morning Post.

Activating the synchronization feature between Moments and Facebook would tap both Chinese WeChat users travelling abroad and foreigners visiting China, thus expanding Tencent's user base.

A recent Tencent report revealed that foreigners in China are bigger users compared with the locals. In fact, compared with local users, foreigners send 60 percent more messages, 42 percent more voice chat, and 13 percent more video chats.