Tencent Holdings Ltd.'s WeChat messaging app will soon get a feature that will let users publish video clips and photos to their followers via a feed.

WeChat's current format focuses on articles (with accompanying visuals). While it’s unclear what the final product will look like, Tencent wants users to be able to share video and content directly with one another. The company has already begun inviting select individuals and organizations that run public accounts to test the feature.

With the move, Tencent is trying to recover lost ground from ByteDance, which created social media phenom TikTok and its Chinese twin Douyin.

WeChat, used by more than a billion people for everything from messaging to booking meals and movies, has hinted on the new feature this month at a developer conference in Guangzhou.

Tencent is trying to win back younger users addicted to lip-syncing music and dance videos on Douyin, while also seeking to unlock a new channel for clients to place ads.

In late 2018, WeChat had introduced a Snapchat-like video feature to its semi-public Moments feed, but it barely gained traction.