Google/Apple Maps and VPN
 

Someone once told me the best site for the metro and I forgot. Does anyone know? It seems like that even all knowing google maps is lost on the Beijing metro.
The Exhibition Urcove seems to be on the airport line.

Metro info on Google Maps aren’t updated since 2015 and with the usual Chinese GPS drift you won’t get anywhere with Google Maps. Apple Maps works the best in China with all languages with adequate translation but you’d have to be there. Try Bing Maps or amap.com and map.baidu.com with your translator on?

What do you mean by you have to be there?

Does Apple Maps suffer from GPS drift?

The full Chinese Apple Maps database (from Amap, a leading local provider) is geo-IP restricted outside of China. If you look up China on Apple Maps right now, there’s lackluster info and no public transit at all derived from decade-old map data from TomTom.

No, Apple Maps doesn’t suffer from drifts or any issue and displays full information (including turn-by-turn transit, timetables, etc) from Amap under a Chinese IP.

Did the search for this very property on Google Maps and the location is indeed off. Try these coordinates on Google Maps: (39.9645917, 116.4360056)

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...it-urgent.html
https://explorebj.com/subway/

So you're telling me that as soon as my iPhone detects a Chinese IP, I'll see the full database with all the details in Apple Maps? I wonder if using a VPN with a Chinese IP will trigger that? So even outside of China, there is no GPS drift with Apple Maps, just no details? If so, Google has really fallen behind and is unreliable in the Mainland now.

No kidding... https://www.thatsmags.com/china/post...m-china-market

Technically yes, but it’s pretty difficult to score a VPN for CN mainland. Even if you do, your VPN provider is very unlikely to route all your traffic via VPN.

More often than not, Chinese VPNs operate a whitelist for certain traffic to “expedite” or unlock Chinese social media and streaming apps for expats. Renting servers these days in China require identity authentication, and if it’s found out that you use them as VPN servers … well let’s just say you’d better give up your China travel plans!

There doesn’t seem to be drastic drifts on Apple Maps outside CN, all the roads and attractions line up, just very few details and no public transport. Satellite imagery also lines up pretty well with main roads.

Long story short, foreign enterprises aren’t allowed to do any type of surveying or mapping for China at all (that explains Tesla FSD’s unavailability in China). Google, like Apple, bought Amap’s database when they were still around, but they stopped doing so some time in 2015 following their eventual blocking the previous year, and the GPS drifting persisted when they terminated maps.google.cn a few years ago.

Given the region’s immense infrastructure growth I’d say Google Maps have completely lost its relevance at around 2017 to 2018, and COVID only made the internet of China more detached. Use Apple Maps while in the country instead, it has updated information, adequate translation, great transit and driving directions including in-door plans for malls, detailed points of interest info, and visibility of international locations (though HK, MO and TW used Amap databases instead of data from Apple’s default TomTom), in line of what your experience would be in the US or Europe.

Not to go too off topic but 1) I would definitely get a VPN before coming here. Many work just fine. Witopia, strongvpn. Astrill. You won't get in trouble for using one

2) gaode is the best mapping system here following by perhaps Baidu. I wouldn't use bing.

GH is a conference hotel right in center. They regularly do international events and are used to dealing with foreigners. It's a good place to be in the middle of main walking, shopping street but gets too crowded for my taste. But it's a good option.

JdV was run by a foreign GM and has people with extremely good English. Best location in my mind but not luxury. I have a home in BJ too but actually stay here sometimes because the location is good near Sanlitun.

hR wang Jing is in the middle of nowhere. Hardware is better than the others but the location is bad. And they are not as used to dealing with foreigners - they basically opened and then covid hit. I dont like staying at this hotel.

Park Hyatt is run extremely well. But I just don't love the location. But it is ok.

Anyway, not to be off Urcove topic.

Great info!
how would an english speaker use Gaode or Baidu? there doses not seem to be an english option on iphone store.

I bought shadow rocket vpn on recommendation of mainliner but it does not seem to work too well so far outside of china

Since you have an iPhone, you'll be fine with Apple Maps.

Shadow rocket is the best and is what I use actually. I didn't recommend it because I thought one needed Chinese payment systems. If it's android, you need to update on the 1st and 16th of every month. iOS just shut and it automatically updates. It's faster and more stable than other VPNs in my experience.

You can type English names into gaode (or didi for taxi) and most times it is correct. For example, type in Park Hyatt Beijing in English and the Chinese name should pop up. Check street number to see if you most likely have the right address. You can also copy the pinyin (ie romanized) spelling from Hyatt app for the address and put into gaode or didi - that usually works very well too.

I frankly would not be too worried about staying at a UR Cove if they allow foreigners if you don't speak Mandarin. Chinese are super helpful and someone somewhere will help out. You won't always be able to get international language service level but you will get good help.

Use Apple Maps. It uses data from Gaode (Amap).
ExpressVPN probably still works, but yeah the VPN rabbit hole certainly is deep.

Gaodeditu is the best for mapping. The people that created it are geniuses 🙏

I have Express and I just checked. They don't have any servers in China!