I just returned from a long weekend in Shanghai (which Iβll write about soon !), and one of my main concerns beforehand was apps. Since China doesnβt support most apps used elsewhere, I was worried I would struggle to find my way there. I downloaded everything that was recommended to me, but in the end only used half of them. So let me tell you about the best apps to download for your trip to China. All are available on the Play Store, so you can download them before your trip !
AliPay :
China rarely uses cash or cards now; everything is paid digitally. You will see pretty quickly that every shop displays a QR code for easy scanning. The two dominant apps are AliPay and WeChat.
In my case, I only used Alipay. It is way easier to set up, you donβt need any ID check, and you can log in with a foreign phone number. The app includes a translator so you can easily read everything on the app in English. Also, it works with International Bank cards, so you donβt need a Chinese Account to use it ! The app is very intuitive, with the main functions being at the top of the main screen. The app is also linked to Didi, so you can book a taxi directly in it !
Trip.com :
If you have never heard of this app, Trip.com is the equivalent of Booking, Expedia, and Klook. It is owned by a Chinese group, so it works very well in China compared to other apps. It is one of the best apps to download for a China trip since you can find almost everything there, hotels, flights, activities…
The best use I found for it was buying an e-SIM ! The price was very low, even with 100 GB per day, and I got it almost immediately ! Once you purchase the e-SIM, you’ll receive activation instructions by email, including a QR code to scan with your phone. Just follow the step-by-step directions to add the e-SIM to your device’s settings. It takes only a couple of minutes. Don’t forget to do it before your flight, though, so when you land, it works immediately, and you don’t have to struggle with airport wifi !
AMap :
You can find most of the spots on Google Maps, but the problem is itineraries. It will not give you much, especially for the subway. So the solution is downloading AMap. It is very similar to Google Maps, you can find any place, with pictures, ratings and comments ! You can also find the best itinerary with the subway, car or on foot. The app has a small default, which is that once you use the English version, it can struggle to find the available itineraries, so I had to copy and paste my destination in Mandarin in order for it to work. So, as I will explain below, having a translator is a must-have in China !
Didi :
Didi is the equivalent of Uber in China, so if you need a taxi, Didi is your solution ! It works almost the same way, you choose a pick up and destination, and then you get the different fares to choose from. I found the waiting time to be longer than other ride apps I am used to. It seems like sometimes it is on purpose to have you spend more to have something quicker. So if you are not in a rush, wait a bit, and the taxi will come, no need to click on additional fares displayed on the screen ! One more thing, the driver might ask you to give the 2 last numbers of the phone number you registered on the app. So, be ready for the question when you jump in !
Google Translate :
Your lifesaver if you don’t speak any Mandarin in China ! You probably know Google Translate already; it is useful in almost every country where you don’t speak the language. You can communicate with the locals by typing or speaking, and most of the time it is ok enough for basic conversations. But my favourite feature is the photo translating one ! For restaurants with menus only in Mandarin, or anything written in Chinese, it is PER-FECT ! You see the translation layered directly on the text, so very easy and convenient ! I highly recommend !
Pleco :
Pleco, on the other hand, you might not already know about it. This one is more for people who want to learn a bit of Mandarin while they are in China. You can type any word you want, and it will give you the best dictionary translation for it. I feel like it is more accurate than Google and easier for you to learn any word !
RedNote :Β
Ok, so we saw the Chinese equivalent of Google Maps, Uber, now let’s see for Instagram ! On RedNote, you can follow famous accounts or just have a look at the Discover tab for any recommendations. I used it mostly for coffee shop and restaurant recommendations in Shanghai. If you search in English, you will come across some posts in English but also some in Mandarin, so you can see a bit of everything. You can save all the posts with the star option, so you can have a look at everything beforehand and just open them back up once you arrive !
WeChat :Β
This one, to me, is not an essential, but I still wanted to include it for several reasons. WeChat is almost like WhatsApp, but with way more options ! With it you can pay, order a taxi, book trains …. To me, AliPay is way more convenient to set up as you don’t need to add your passport details… But for instance, at my hotel, in order to book breakfast, the staff advised me to pay via WeChat since there was a special discount. The discount was quite significant, so I agreed to do it, but didn’t use WeChat Pay for the rest of the trip. AliPay was enough !
Another reason why I would recommend having it is in the case that you travel solo. I was going to China alone, and in case of internet connection issues, I still wanted to let my family know that everything was ok and to be able to talk to them. So I added some of my friends on WeChat and asked my parents to download it at least during my trip. So at least I had a backup communication in case of issues !
Other than these two, I don’t think WeChat is highly necessary, and since it takes up a lot of storage space on your phone, I don’t recommend it necessarily !
VPN :Β
I know that VPNs are a big topic for a trip to China, and I was quite confused on what to do before leaving. I was looking everywhere for the best solution but everyone was saying something different.
Some said NordVPN worked fine, others said it didn’t work, some recommended VPNs I had never heard about before, but had to pay for … Very overwhelming and not helping me with anything.
One of my friends came to the rescue and explained to me that if you do roaming (use your mobile subscription but add a supplement for China), there would be a VPN already included, so no need for one ! The second solution she gave me was to buy an e-SIM on Trip.com and to download it before my flight. Like this, I would have internet and the VPN included together ! I chose the second option, just like I explained before, because roaming was more expensive than the e-SIM. In the end, it worked perfectly so that’s why I would also recommend this solution to you !
I am done with all the apps to download for China. If you have any other ones you would like to recommend, you can write a comment below. I would love to know about them ! You can also check my other destinations here !
