The 7 Apps You Need in China (And How to Set Them Up Before You Land)

Published on LOCLYX Blog · Updated June 2026 · Reading time ~9 minutes

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Opening

Here is the part of trip planning no one tells you about: the moment your plane lands in China, your phone becomes a brick unless you have prepared six specific apps in advance. Google Maps stops working. Uber does not exist. Your bank’s app often fails to load. Email clients stall on connection checks. The Wi-Fi at the airport requires a Chinese phone number you do not have.

Travelers who arrive unprepared spend their first two days in a state of low-grade panic, hunting for working Wi-Fi, queuing at the China Mobile counter to buy a SIM, and asking hotel concierges for help. Travelers who arrive prepared walk out of the airport, scan a QR code at the taxi rank, and pay the driver with a fingerprint.

This guide covers the seven apps you need, in the order you need to install them, with screenshots-equivalent steps and the exact configuration that works for foreign passports in 2026. Install them on your phone and tablet both. Test each one before you board the plane.

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Section 1: The two apps you cannot live without

App 1: WeChat (微信) — messaging, payments, identity

WeChat is not just a messaging app. It is the operating system of Chinese daily life. You will use it to message hotels, pay at restaurants, scan QR codes for subway entry, follow official accounts for ticket bookings, call DiDi, and even unlock shared bikes.

Why you cannot skip it: in 2026, paying in cash at a Chinese restaurant is increasingly treated as suspicious. Many tourist-area vendors no longer accept cash at all. WeChat Pay works at every restaurant, every convenience store, every DiDi, every subway gate, and every hotel. It is the single most important app in China.

How to set it up before you fly:

1. Download WeChat from the App Store or Google Play. The English interface is enabled by default for international users.
2. Register with your phone number (any country code works).
3. Tap “Me” → “Services” → “Wallet” → “Bank Cards” → add a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express card.
4. Top up your balance from the linked card (minimum CNY 200, maximum CNY 6,000 per transaction).
5. Set a 6-digit payment PIN when prompted.

The foreign-card transaction fee is 3% for most cards. WeChat has begun waiving it for transactions under CNY 200, but verify at the moment of payment.

Pro tip: link your credit card before you leave home. Top-up works better from a credit card than a debit card, and you avoid hitting your daily foreign-card limit on day one of the trip.

App 2: Alipay (支付宝) — payments, transport, mini-programs

Alipay is WeChat’s main competitor for mobile payments. The two apps cover 95% of payment scenarios in China, and some merchants accept one but not the other. Carrying both gives you complete coverage.

Why you cannot skip it: a meaningful minority of vendors (especially in Shanghai, Hangzhou, and the South) prefer Alipay over WeChat. The Alipay “Tour Pass” is also the easiest way to handle foreign cards if WeChat Pay rejects yours.

How to set it up:

1. Download Alipay. Register with your phone number.
2. On the home screen, find “Tour Pass” (Tourist Version). It is a dedicated entry point that does not require a Chinese bank account.
3. Add your foreign Visa/Mastercard/Amex card.
4. Top up the balance (similar limits to WeChat).
5. The exchange rate is generally 0.5–1% better than WeChat for foreign cards.

Pro tip: enable biometric payment (fingerprint or Face ID) so you do not have to type your PIN at every street vendor.

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Section 2: The three apps you will use every day

App 3: Amap (高德地图) — maps and navigation

Google Maps is blocked in mainland China and the version that loads is 2–3 years out of date. Apple Maps works in tier-1 cities but is unreliable elsewhere. Amap is the only navigation app you can rely on across all of China. It has full English mode, accurate subway data, real-time traffic, and most importantly, walking directions through the maze-like hutongs of Beijing and Shanghai.

How to set it up:

1. Download Amap (also called AutoNavi in some stores).
2. Switch the interface language to English in Settings → Language.
3. Allow location access at all times.
4. Search any Chinese address by name (English works for hotels and attractions) or by pasting a Chinese address from your hotel booking.

Pro tip: before you go anywhere new, copy the Chinese name of your destination into Amap. The app will give you walking, transit, and driving options. If you are taking DiDi, paste the Chinese address into DiDi and the driver will find it. Showing a Western spelling often leads to confused taxi drivers.

App 4: DiDi (滴滴出行) — ride-hailing

DiDi is the Chinese Uber. It works in every city, accepts foreign credit cards directly, has an English interface, and is consistently cheaper than flagging a taxi. The trip is traceable in the app, which adds a small safety net.

How to set it up:

1. Download DiDi’s “DiDi” international app (separate from the Chinese version, which requires a Chinese phone number).
2. Register with your phone number.
3. Add a Visa, Mastercard, or Amex card for payment.
4. Test the app at your home location to confirm it works.

How to use it in China:

1. Set your pickup pin by tapping the map (do not trust auto-location in crowded spots).
2. Type your destination in Chinese (copy from your hotel confirmation or paste from Amap).
3. Choose Express (cheapest), Premier (mid-tier), or XL (for groups).
4. Watch the driver approach in real-time on the map.
5. The driver may call you on the app — answer in English, they usually speak some.

Pro tip: write the Chinese characters for your destination in your phone notes before you board the DiDi. If the driver cannot find you or you cannot find them, paste the Chinese text into the chat.

App 5: Trip.com (Ctrip) — trains, flights, hotels

Trip.com is the international-facing brand of Ctrip, China’s largest travel agency. It is the only reliable English-language way to book China domestic high-speed trains, flights, and hotels. The official 12306 app (China Railway’s own app) is Chinese-only and rejects most foreign passport registrations.

How to set it up:

1. Download Trip.com.
2. Register with your email or phone number.
3. Use the “Trains” tab to book high-speed tickets. Tickets release 15 days before departure.
4. Pay with your foreign Visa/Mastercard. Ticket confirmation arrives by email and in-app.
5. To board the train: bring your passport to the station, find a self-service kiosk (English option available), scan your passport, print the ticket, or use the e-ticket QR code directly.

Pro tip: book your trains the moment tickets release (15 days before, midnight China time, which is often morning or afternoon US time). Popular routes (Beijing → Shanghai on weekends, Beijing → Xi’an around holidays) sell out within hours.

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Section 3: The two apps you need for very specific reasons

App 6: A working VPN — internet access for Google, Gmail, WhatsApp, Instagram

China blocks Google, Gmail, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, X/Twitter, Reddit, most Western news sites, and most Western productivity tools (Slack, Notion, Dropbox). The blocking happens at the ISP level, not on your phone, so changing DNS does not help.

You need a VPN that works in mainland China, installed and tested before you fly. The provider websites are blocked in China, so you cannot download them once you arrive.

The three providers consistently reliable for China in 2026:

• Astrill — the most reliable, especially for Shanghai and Beijing. $15/month. Steepest learning curve. Get the China-optimized server list.
• ExpressVPN — easier to use, slightly less reliable during politically sensitive weeks. $13/month.
• NordVPN — cheapest ($4/month on 2-year plan), inconsistent in mainland China, fine for Hong Kong.

Avoid free VPNs. They either do not work, sell your data, or both.

How to set it up:

1. Subscribe before you leave home (use your home Wi-Fi).
2. Install the VPN app on your phone, tablet, and laptop.
3. Test it by opening Google and Facebook. If both load, you are set.
4. Save the provider’s “mirror site” (alternative URL that works in China) and the manual configuration files in your email. If the app fails, these will save you.

Pro tip: install two VPN providers as backup. The first will sometimes fail during sensitive political periods, and switching to the second takes 30 seconds.

App 7: Pleco — offline Chinese dictionary

Pleco is the best offline Chinese dictionary for English speakers, and it does not require a VPN or any connection to work. Use it to look up characters, translate menus, or have a basic conversation.

How to set it up:

1. Download Pleco from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Download the free English-Chinese dictionary (the bundled one is excellent).
3. Optional: enable the OCR feature so you can point your phone camera at a Chinese character and get an instant translation.

Pro tip: Pleco’s handwriting input is invaluable when you need to type a Chinese character but only know what it looks like. Draw the character with your finger, and Pleco suggests matches.

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Section 4: How to actually set everything up — the 30-minute checklist

Do this at home, on your home Wi-Fi, 3 days before you fly.

Week before departure

• [ ] Subscribe to a VPN provider. Install on phone, tablet, and laptop. Test that Google and Facebook load.
• [ ] Subscribe to a second VPN provider as backup. Install and test.

Day before departure

• [ ] Download WeChat, register with phone number, verify identity, add credit card, top up CNY 500.
• [ ] Download Alipay, register, add credit card, top up CNY 500.
• [ ] Download Amap, switch to English, allow location.
• [ ] Download DiDi international, register, add credit card, test with a fake destination.
• [ ] Download Trip.com, register, browse train options for your first China trip leg.
• [ ] Download Pleco, install English-Chinese dictionary.
• [ ] Optional: download Metroman for subway maps (works offline, English).
• [ ] Optional: download Apple Translate or Google Translate. Download offline Chinese pack.

Day of departure

• [ ] Screenshot your hotel’s Chinese address and your first day’s itinerary. Airplane Wi-Fi does not always work for VPN.
• [ ] Verify WeChat and Alipay have positive balances.
• [ ] Verify VPN is connected on your phone.

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Section 5: Three apps you should NOT bother with

Some apps are commonly recommended by outdated guides. Skip these in 2026.

• Google Maps — blocked in mainland China and out of date when it loads. Use Amap.
• Uber — sold to DiDi years ago. The Uber app in China redirects to DiDi.
• The official 12306 app — Chinese-only, rejects most foreign passport registrations. Use Trip.com.

And finally, three apps you should avoid completely:

• Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, X/Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, Gmail — all blocked in mainland China without a VPN. Schedule your last posts before you leave.
• Google Translate — works in China but the camera translation requires a VPN for full functionality. Apple Translate does not.
• Any free VPN — none of the well-known free VPNs work reliably in China. Pay for a subscription.

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Closing

The “apps you need in China” question is really the “will my phone work in China” question. The answer is yes — but only if you prepare in advance. The seven apps above, installed and tested before you fly, will carry you through the entire trip.

If you want a setup guide with annotated screenshots for each app, our Resource Pack includes step-by-step PDFs for WeChat, Alipay, DiDi, and VPN configuration — written by locals who use these apps daily. If you want someone to handle the entire setup for you plus the trip planning, see plan my trip.

For more on the practical side of the trip, see our guide to paying for things in China and our 10-day itinerary for the canonical first-trip route.

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