China Mobile officially launched its “Mobile Pet Care” platform in Beijing on September 28, targeting the growing demands of China’s 1.2 billion-plus pet-owning households. The service addresses three critical pain points plaguing modern pet owners: pet loss risks, lack of scientific care knowledge, and separation anxiety—a response to a market where 60% of owners prioritize smart functions over price. Built on a “connection + hardware + application + benefits” ecosystem, the platform integrates into China Mobile’s existing “Home Care” APP to deliver one-stop intelligent services, marking the telecom giant’s latest push into the $44 billion Chinese pet economy.
Product Framework & Core Functions
Built on a “connection + hardware + application + benefits” framework, “Mobile Pet Care” has rolled out its latest features on the China Mobile “Home Care” APP, bringing a transformative smart pet-care experience. Its six core service scenarios cover all aspects of pet raising, creating an integrated system of hardware control, data monitoring, and life services:
- Care: Refined pet management. Users can control smart devices—such as water dispensers, feeders, and litter boxes—via the APP. Functions include remote feeding, circulating fresh water, automatic waste cleaning, and smart reminders, enabling owners to practice scientific pet care effortlessly.
- Location: Digital pet tracking. A health-monitoring locator records pets’ movement trajectories, supports electronic fence setup, and provides audio-visual assistance for pet search to prevent loss. An electronic pet tag serves as an “ID card,” allowing lost pets to be reunited with owners quickly.
- Management: Granular pet growth tracking. The “AI Pet Report” aggregates key data like pets’ diet, water intake, and exercise, generating health radars and smart care suggestions. An AI assistant (Lingxi) answers scientific pet-care questions and supports voice interaction.
- Monitoring: Tech-enabled pet guardianship. A pet camera offers motion tracking, key event alerts, and “timeline” push notifications. A “pet’s perspective” camera provides a unique view, helping owners understand their pets’ world better.
- Companionship: Enhanced pet-owner bonding. A “pet cloud album” enables smart photo syncing to cloud storage. A dedicated pet ringtone section supports DIY video ringtones. An AI pet-language translator uses algorithms to interpret pets’ emotions and needs, enabling voice communication between owners and pets.
- Protection: Convenient pet life services. To ease the burden of high pet medical costs, the platform includes medical insurance with expense reimbursement and fast online claims. It also provides benefits like health consultations, grooming, boarding, and shopping services.
Differentiation from Competitors (e.g., Petkit)
Against the backdrop of a competitive smart pet tech market, “Mobile Pet Care” forms distinct advantages compared with established players like Petkit, mainly reflected in three aspects:
Integration of Functions vs. Single Hardware Focus: Petkit’s product line mainly centers on single-function hardware such as smart feeders and water dispensers, requiring users to switch between multiple apps to manage different devices. In contrast, “Mobile Pet Care” integrates six core scenarios (from hardware control to life services) into one APP, realizing “one-stop management” that better meets the comprehensive needs of pet owners.
Ecosystem Synergy vs. Independent Product Operation: Petkit operates its products independently, with limited connection to broader life services. “Mobile Pet Care” leverages China Mobile’s existing “Home Care” ecosystem, allowing users to link pet devices with smart home tools (e.g., thermostats, lights) — a cross-scenario synergy not offered by Petkit.
Social Value Addition vs. Pure Commercial Orientation: Petkit focuses primarily on commercial product functions, with little involvement in social welfare. “Mobile Pet Care” embeds public welfare initiatives (e.g., the “Little Strays’ Full Meal Campaign”) into its product system, combining pet services with social responsibility — a value orientation that resonates with the increasing demand for “socially responsible consumption” among modern users.
On-Site Experience & Market Progress
The launch event featured a “Pet Care at Home” interactive experience zone, where attendees tested the product’s full range of functions. From creating pet profiles and engaging in fun interactions to experiencing automated care, digital activity tracking, comprehensive guardianship, and extended service benefits, each session embodied the product’s design concept: “Making Pet Households More AI-Enabled.” Many attendees commented that the platform’s integrated experience was more convenient than the “single-device, single-app” model of competitors like Petkit.
To date, “Mobile Pet Care” has integrated 16 smart hardware products, including health-monitoring collars and smart feeders/water dispensers. It has also introduced 48 pet-related benefits covering pet insurance, food, grooming, and more. Since May 2025, a pilot program has been launched in 17 Chinese provinces, with positive market feedback: Jiangxi’s pet insurance, Beijing’s pet grooming services, and smart hardware in Hebei and Shanghai have all received enthusiastic responses. This marks another milestone in China Mobile’s innovative applications in the smart home sector.
Social Responsibility & Future Plans
While launching the product, China Mobile also fulfilled its social responsibility by partnering with the Beijing Ita Foundation (a non-profit focused on animal protection) to launch the “Little Strays’ Full Meal Campaign.” Users can participate via the “Home Care” APP: by experiencing featured functions in the campaign section and sharing event posters, they earn points to redeem free pet food. China Mobile then donates this food to the Ita Foundation to support frontline animal rescue efforts. This initiative has become a key differentiator from competitors like Petkit, which lack similar social welfare links.
China Mobile stated it will deepen its layout in the pet tech sector and continue to launch innovative products and services. On one hand, it will increase R&D investment to enhance the application of AI, IoT, and other technologies in pet products, delivering more intelligent and personalized care experiences. On the other hand, it will expand cooperation with pet hospitals, smart device manufacturers, and pet lifestyle service providers to build a diversified service ecosystem. Moving forward, China Mobile will uphold the concepts of innovation, responsibility, and win-win cooperation to improve the “Mobile Pet Care” product system, leverage the ecological value of its service platform, and usher in a new era of smart pet care.
