Originally Posted by
plunet
I would also say the dimensions of this are different if you're using an Apple iOS or Android.
I would agree with the suggestion above for Apple devices, just pivoting to use bing rather than Google and no hard dependencies on gmail or other western social media, and a few apps pre installed is survivable. If you have a roaming SIM or eSIM then all the friction will go away.
But Android devices that are using the Google play store (virtually all Android devices purchased outside of China) are much more hobbled if they have no access to Google services in China. So some kind of method to keep it connected to Google - preferably a roaming SIM or eSIM for simplicity and no messing around with VPNs - is more important on Android than it is on iOS in my opinion.
Originally Posted by
plunet
And here is an example of possible confusion....
When using an eSIM (or other foreign SIM) with roaming in China already unblocks your access to the internet - your internet connection is tunnelled back to the home network of the SIM/eSIM you are using and you are no longer restricted by the great firewall. You can access Google services and anything else normally restricted.
You don't need a VPN as well as roaming SIM/eSIM unless you need a VPN for other purposes.
I maintain that with the advent of eSIMs it's very much easier for occasional travellers to China to use these. It's not expensive for short term trips and is set and forget.
For ongoing more permanent life in China prolonged use of an eSIM with a need for decent amount of data to access your favourite media and stream may become less cost optimised and a VPN may be worth considering.
I've actually never owned an iPhone, but most of my friends have them, so I'm somewhat familiar with the pains they experience finding apps.
My previous Androids were Huaweis. In spite of their superior tech, those things became progressively hard to use with western apps over time. On the other hand, the app gallery had every Chinese app you can imagine.
Now, I'm using a One Plus, which is pretty close to stock Android. Even though Google Play doesn't have any Chinese apps. sideloading is pretty easy. You just need to go to the official website of each app company and download the APK. I advise people to do this before heading to China because it's a bit of a hunting expedition if you want 8-10 apps.
Re VPNs, for me, I absolutely have to have one that works well all the time because my work entails accessing numerous databases in the US. Hotel and office wifi connections are typically far more stable for me than phone tethering, so it wouldn't matter if I had a roaming SIM or not.
But, if you're just here as a tourist, I think Chinese apps alone are sufficient for having a good trip. Just forward all emails you care about to an email address you can access.