How do you obtain a WeChat access_token certificate from api.wechat.com?

PotatoJam picture PotatoJam · Dec 18, 2013 · Viewed 17.9k times · Source

This site tries to explain the process: http://admin.wechat.com/wiki/index.php?title=Access_token

The problem is nowhere do they tell you where to get the AppID or what exactly the secret is.Has anyone else succeeded in communicating with WeChat?

Answer

DeveloperX picture DeveloperX · Apr 11, 2014

Essentially we @ WeChat have 2 types of accounts, subscription and service. Subscription account only gives you access to the Message API which allows for receiving messages and autoresponses and allows you to broadcast to your users once a day. Subscription accounts are also grouped in a category in your contacts under subscription.

A service account gives you an APP ID and APP SECRET which allows you to generate an access token which is needed for pretty much all the other API's apart from the Message API. A service account displays in the user's contact list under the main chats in between all your other normal contacts. You can only broadcast to each of your users once a month on a service account.

If you have a service account you will get the APP ID and APP SECRET from admin.wechat.com -> login -> function -> advanced -> developer mode -> Just under your token you will see the APP ID and APP SECRET

To see what type of account you have go to admin.wechat.com -> login and then look at the top right of the screen next to your account name you will see your account name and just above that it will either say subscription account or service account.

If you want to test all the API's I recommend going to the developer sandbox environment where you get full access to all the API's: How does link with href for Line and Wechat?

Please note your number needs to be in the international format so 072 111 2233 you have to enter as +27721112233