WeChat users send 38 billion messages daily

Some 38 billion messages were sent everyday via WeChat, according to a report published Thursday by Tencent Holdings, the owner of the popular messaging app.

That's up 25 percent over a year ago, furthering narrowing the gap with WhatsApp's daily volume of 55 billion messages.

Thanks to better internet connectivity and bandwidth, WeChat's 963 million users send 6.1 billion voice messages and make 205 million video and voice calls per day, the report said.

The all-in-one app, which includes payment features and a newsfeed, has also attracted 50 million active users between the ages of 55 and 70.

Its publishing function is the latest darling for brands, media outlets and bloggers, who together operated 3.5 million active "official accounts" that deliver a variety of information to subscribers.

WeChat was also used as a payment option in physical stores 2.8 times more often compared to a year ago, the company said without disclosing exact figures.