Minimum Apps to Load for a Visit to Mainland China?
 

Between phone storage limits and privacy concerns, I am trying to figure out what are the must-have Apps when visiting Mainland China.

I plan to use public transit when I can and don't plan to get takeout. I can speak Mandarin fine and can read a lot of the Simplified Chinese writings. Will have an eSIM based out of HK so I can still access things like WhatsApp and Google. Visiting only 5 days - GuangZhou only.

It seems:

1 - Ali Pay (I will do that instead of WeChat)
2 - GaoDe Map
3 - Maybe CTrip or Trip if I book through them

Anything else I must have?

Thanks.

That's enough, to be honest.

I saw on 抖音 that the métro of Guangzhou 广州 now accept contactless foreign bank cards similar to the scheme in 北京, so that might be a boon for you.

I use 百度 for maps, not sure what the map you mentioned is. But also if you have an iPhone, the maps will work fine as-is without anything else. It's just Google Maps that prove problematic.

WeChat is the most important by a country mile.

Also 饿了么, alipay, and maybe another map app.

I wouldn't bother with much else, especially because mini programs (inside WeChat and Alipay) are the norm these days.

Bumping this since I'm curious: is there a way for someone to download Douyin without having to have a Mainland China or HK App Store account? While I can get my aunt who lives in HK to get me an App Store gift card I don't want the hassle of having to set up yet another App Store account. (I have accounts for US/PH/ES/PL/JP.)

Also, I use Baidu Maps when I'm in China but should I also download Amap as well? Or is Apple Maps (which uses Amap's data) sufficient for this purpose?

Apple maps should be fine. It's really Google/android users that are impacted.

Anyone can download 抖音 as an apk for Android (not sure about Apple) but you have to have a mainland chinese number to register as a user.

I only use baidu in situations where I need its detailed landmarks or enhanced features, which is quite often.

My primary map app (amap clone, I think) is more visually appealing (i.e doesn't make my head spin), and good enough for most missions.

I'm surprised that no one mentioned Didi and Dianping.

I use Amap to call multiple rideshare companies at once. Quite convenient.

Didi is accessible from within Alipay. Dianping is a must-have, at least for me.

I have the Didi app. Haven't tried calling one from Alipay or WeChat but I suppose it works the same way save for perhaps a cheaper fare here or there.

VPN
 

Make sure your vpn (or 2) is loaded. You won't be able to load it in China.

I don't know of a single commercial VPN that claims to work in China for which the client(s) can't be downloaded in China, but I'm curious to hear about any that don't.

When I was there last April, I couldn't download Astril or Express VPN. (I Believe I was trying to use those 2 by memory now) couldn't get to their websites. It was like trying to use gmail without a vpn.

I just realized that Didi China is a separate app from Didi outside of China. I had the latter installed from my trip to Costa Rica a few weeks ago, but it didn't do me any good in Suzhou. Fortunately, Didi can be booked within Alipay, Wechat, and Amap, but I personally prefer avoiding the mini apps when possible, as they seem to be giving me more issues.

Overall, my experience is much better than my last trip to CN in 2018, thanks to everything moving to app-based purchasing. But definitely do what you can to get verified before traveling, as it feels like a neverending process for both Wechat and Alipay.

Another headache was when I tried to book a Didi at Suzhou railway station, from the clearly marked rideshare area. Apparently, there are several very similar-sounding Didi pickup spots in the same general vicinity/side of the station, as it turned into a royal PITA (I had the same issue at both the north and south exits).

I'm finally starting to regain some of my sense and sanity, but the first 24 hours in China can be quite bewildering and frustrating for a wide variety of reasons. I still have absolutely no idea how to order food at a restaurant. The first 10 I walked past near my hotel all have the menu on the wall behind the counter, so my typical approach of using Google translate and then pointing to what I want on the menu isn't an option. The last restaurant I went to only had their menu on a single tablet, which was probably more annoying, but at least I could select what I wanted. I really miss Japan and their gorgeous meal mock-ups. Fortunately, I will be heading back there in a few days.

Express no longer bills itself as a viable option in China (in fact, they told this straight up last month when I asked them about it), but there are still many ways to get it inside China. Meanwhile, A always maintains mirror URLs that are accessible from within China.

As I've mentioned in other threads, locating your specific car/driver in busy areas is usually sufficiently annoying for me to pass. Fortunately, there are almost always other ways to leave airports and train stations. And, if you happen to be in the middle of People's Square, just walk ~500 meters to a less chaotic area before requesting a car.

Regarding restaurants, I dislike being forced to order from my phone or a tablet (this issue isn't unique to China), but I can't recall the last time I've seen one that didn't have descriptive pictures. Furthermore, many restaurants still make it easy to order the old fashioned way.

The restaurants in the busy shopping districts and touristy areas have the picture signs out front and even may have a physical menu or two on hand. However, the random ones on the street, such as the ones near my hotel, lure you inside with a few provocative photos on the window, but there is nothing but sea of Chinese characters and prices scribed upon the wall inside, too far away for photo translation and hand gestures. The noodle shops in particular seem guilty of this heinous crime, and of course, that is where I most want to eat at. I only have a couple more days here, so I can probably get by sticking to the tourism zones for nourishment.

As for VPNs, I hastily downloaded LetsVPN to both of my phones at LAX, shortly before departing to PVG, and they are working like a charm. Only $3 for a week, on both devices.

That seems like a great deal compared to A** short term plan pricing. Can you describe your experience with it in the VPN thread? A big issue for me is customer service. A** is really good on this front, but only comprises a small component of their high price point.

I got a new (android) phone a few days ago and have been slowly adding apps to it.

In case it hasn't been mentioned yet, many of the good Chinese apps are no longer in play store, which means you can either slideload the APKs yourself or use a play store clone like Yingyongbao. Both methods require enabling the "installation from external sources" permission.

The only Chinese apps I've included thus far are:
-WeChat
-Alipay
-Baidu Maps
-Ele.me
-Dianping
-Didi
-China Unicom (to manage my phone plan)
-two bank apps

I'm sitting on the fence about several others that I haven't used much recently, but could come in handy.

It's been consistently very reliable, at least for the past two years (so you don't really need customer service :p). OTOH, it's really a proxy, rather than a true VPN, so it may not have the same data encryption and protection that you may desire.

All those ridesharing platforms, including Didi, in China offer multiple choices these days, even though Didi may favor its own service in its algorithm. I find Didi has certain advantages in some situation, so I use multiple such platforms, especially in situations when getting a ride is a little tricky and difficult (which happens more often nowadays in some places).

Personally, I prefer having less choice (i.e. app clutter) in most categories (just need to make sure my choices are best :D). Maps are an exception that I've explained above, but there too, having both Baidu and Tencent at the same time is hard to justify.

Question from a newbie: What should be my digital and phone strategy for China?

Background: I currently have a burner phone that I sometimes use for travel. It's an Android and unlocked. It does not use eSIMs. It has local service in Canada. I have used it in Europe and Asia before by getting a local SIM.

My background is that I have no military, government, or intelligence connections or value but I do not know if relatives have had US government connections or were merely low level government employees mopping the floor. I do have enough money (not super rich) that I am willing to spend some money for safety precautions in cities with more crime and would do things to reduce risks in China, such as false arrest or being in their files. The likelihood, in my opinion, is that false arrest is low but not zero. I have heard of the Two Canadian Michaels being arrested in China.

Possible strategies: all use my burner phone
strategy A: just get a local SIM in China, sign up for WeChat.
strategy B: get a local SIM in China, don't use the phone much. Remain isolated from email. Phone is mostly for emergency voice call use.
strategy C: use VPN
strategy D: download maps (does Google Maps chart out China?), do nothing online
strategy E: avoid China

I would like a digital profile in China as small as possible.

A and C. Or, roam with a non mainland SIM so you can forego C. I can actually get by pretty well without C btw (I've yet to find a VPN that works with my phone OS), but it is nice to be able to use Google instead of Bing or baidu.

ETA: I should also point out that VPNs don't protect people from themselves (i.e. avoid taboo topics on social media, including WeChat).

Get alipay and wechat to be able to pay and load other programs through them. You can pay and use a foreign sim card with roaming (no need to get a vpn then).

I read a How To on a Chinese forum that you can get an eSIM from Trip.com that is for Greater China with the provider HKG based at very low cost (does need to dig thru to page 2 of eSIM offers to find it). Key is to install it BEFORE entering China. Once inside China make sure data roaming is on. The eSIM will find the network used inside China. Since it is HKG based you use it just as if you are using roaming if your YS provider, have full access of everything without the need to get over the wall.

Or if you use T Mobile high end plan you have high speed roaming inside China free, with full access of sites just as if you are at home. This might be the easiest approach. I am seriously considering of switching to them just for short term covering the period we travel there.

See here:
​​​​​https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...vpn-china.html

I used these apps on my recent trip:

WeChat (for texting and paying)

AliPay (as a backup to WeChat Pay, which had promo that waived fees over certain amount)

DiDi (ride hailing app, I used the mini program version inside WeChat)

AMap (can search locations using English or pinyin, and it generally knows what you're searching for)

Dianping (kind of like Yelp, used for searching restaurants reviews or even places like spas. AMap often didn't have many reviews of the same places)

Railway 12306 (used to book and see train schedules. Can use ctrip or trip instead but I didn't have to pay extra fees and felt like this app was better for viewing schedules and preview seat selections before you confirmed payment)

Deepseek (had better China knowledge than ChatGPT and didn't hallucinate as much on China-related questions. Used for translations and other general travel questions in China)

ChatGPT (paid version which allows unlimited photo uploads, used as backup to Deepseek. The version of Deepseek I have seems to rely on text in its image handling. So if there is no text in the photo, Deepseek throws an error and generally has no idea what it's looking at. Whereas ChatGPT doesn't have that issue. On ChatGPT you can upload a photo of just food and ask what is it. Be aware that trip.com sells several different esim packages. You need to get the esim package that explicitly advertises that it supports ChatGPT. If you use any other esim you might want to research if it supports all the non-Chinese apps you plan to use, including the international version of Deepseek).

Rednote (I rarely used it in China but used more often when I was planning my trip, to check out videos of hotels and attractions)

You didn't use eleme or any other food delivery apps? Those were game changers for me.

Unfortunately no but I'll try them next time since I heard that the food delivery service is super cheap. We were there for about a week and a half and constantly on the move. Everywhere we visited had plenty of food options too. Except on top of the Great Wall. Although I heard they started doing drone deliveries on some parts!

Do you usually just order to the hotel, or want a drink but don't want to walk and find the store?

Yes. And, you'd be surprised how many places do deliveries late at night (e.g. all convenience stores, some foreign grocery stores, fast food, ramen, pizza, sushi, many varieties of Chinese food). In major cities, it rarely takes more than 30-40 minutes. And, unlike Doordash or Uber Eats, there is usually no delivery fee or tipping (in fact, you often don't see the delivery person at all). This means, for example, that it's possible to get 2 DQ blizzards sent to you for Y20, all in. (In the US, this would cost $20.)

can be accessed via alipay

I prefer the standalone apps in those cases, but I do try to keep my phone clutter free, for the most part.

Will be shortly traveling within China for three weeks. All this discussion about phone apps and what works/doesnt is making me grateful that I am part of an all-inclusive group tour and can off-load these responsibilites to the tour leader, as befits someone of my advanced age and declining mental faculties. But all the info you folks are providing is appreciated considering I was forced to obtain a 10-year multi-entry visa ;)

Apologies for my non-informative post; awoke early and was feeling lonely.:)

Hey, no worries. I would imagine in your case the key things would be

1. Ensuring that you have suitable connectivity in China. If your phone is Android it will struggle to do even the most basic of things with no connection to Google services, and if you otherwise use Google or other Western social apps or Media outlets on any device they won't work. The best way to solve this is a roaming SIM card with a sensible cost bundle of data to use in China. See https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...one-china.html

2. Even though your tour is all inclusive you might want to buy a few things for yourself. In which case having some cash (accepted in places where Western tourists tread) or setting up WeChat pay or AliPay. You can probably survive with cash as you're on a tour, but if you venture off into "real" China then the payment apps become pretty much a necessity. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...-shanghai.html

3. In case you have some downtime or you feel the need to venture out to self-explore sometime AMaps for navigation (or to just work out where you are, accurately, as western mapping is broken in China) https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...it-urgent.html

Thank you for your informative (and kind) reply, Plunet!

Regardless of what that phrase which I bolded might mean, I still don't have any..."real" issues using cash.

However, two things I am noticing more and more (and that should come as a shock to no one):
- occasionally, businesses don't have small change. whatever, they're usually up front about it.
- the already irritating metro systems are further worsening, as many are eliminating all but one/maybe two ticket machines that accepts cash, and are forcing those cash users to try and find a customer service desk.

OTOH, this may have been mentioned upthread, but Beijing and Guangzhou metros seem to accept foreign Visa/Mastercard now. I bet Shanghai is already there, too (but it wasn't last summer).

If you load 100 on a public transit card, that should last you a week or two in most cities that have subways.

Just take a picture of the menu and upload it to ChatGPT. If you’re in China, DeepSeek might be a better option, and it can explain the menu for you.

Honestly, an eSIM from Trip is usually enough for internet access, and the price is pretty reasonable. But if you’re going to be in China for a while, I’d suggest getting a local SIM card at the airport and using it with a VPN. You can find lots of recommendations on the forum (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/chin...-china-50.html), and it’s generally cheaper and easier in the long run.

Returned home yesterday after 18 days in China. Enjoyed my trip immensly but ate too much.

My T-mobile Magenta plan and Airalo esim kept me connected. Had installed Proton VPN but quickly noticed I didnt need it since all the sites I wanted to access were accessible.

Easily accessed WhatsApp to share pictures and phone calls with family in US.

Used WeChat to communicate and share pictures within our group, but I did not activate the payment feature because I had trepidations about providing my passport info to activate credit card access. As a result, I had to channel my inner Blanche DuBois whenever (often) I encountered a no-cash ice cream vending machine.

At metro systems in various cities one person usually bought tickets for everyone because it was taking too long for 12 people to buy tickets individually (factor in that most in the group are ages 70+ years).

Used trip.com to book hotel<->airport transfers for entering and exiting China and Taipei.

Apple maps was fine when wandering on my own. Used the airtag in my hotel room as fail-safe to guide me back in case I got lost (never!)

Google Translate was sufficient; I had downloaded Simplified and Traditional Chinese pre-trip.

FWIW, my general phone hygiene when traveling outside US is to disable automatic iOS and app updates, turn off Wifi except in hotel room, not access my banking or credit card apps/sites, and keep Location off unless lost. If Columbus found India without fancy-smancy smartphones, I should be able to navigate the streets and subways in any major city!