China is a different country and expats will find this fact soon after landing on the country. The tech developments happen very fast and people use electronic items in a way you might have never seen in any other part of the world. Being a foreigner, you will get lost if you are not prepared for the worst. The best part is the smartphones like iPhone can help you to live without struggle and without getting into language problems. Here are the top 10 apps for foreigners in China to make the life easier.
Important Before Finding Apps
Remember that no VPN apps will be be available in Chinese App Store. You need to change the store to install the app. On other hand, other Chinese apps will not work when you travel outside the country due to legal restrictions. For example, Youku will not stream videos when you are outside China. You need an accelerator or reverse VPN to access Chinese apps from outside the country.
1. WeChat (Weixin)
WeChat is an ultimate app that you can’t live in China without using this app. This is a combined platform of Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram and also offer money transfer. You can easily find friends, chat with them and share your memories in timeline. Ensure to have a verified WeChat Pay account by adding your local bankcard. With this, you can say goodbye to your physical wallet and pay anyone by scanning the QR code using WeChat app. WeChat also offers additional services like taxi booking, cycle sharing and many other services. However, most of the services will be in Chinese language and you may not be able to use comfortably.
Remember that WhatsApp was removed from Apple App Stores in April 2024 and you need to install it from another country’s App Store or install before you land in China.
2. AliPay
The second app you may need for financial transactions is AliPay. You can buy things online and transfer money internationally through wire transfer using AliPay app. You can find so many useful programs like mobile top-up, taxi booking, bicycle ride, etc. within the app to make it as a packaged solution for most of your needs.
3. Youku / iQIYI
There are many video-sharing platforms available in China. Youku is one of the biggest and most popular platforms among all. Good part is that you can find movies and video clips from many languages. You can also try other apps like iQIYI to view the latest English movies for a premium account. Pay few RMB to purchase a movie online and view coolly from your house.
4. ExpressVPN
It is always a tug off between the government and the VPN companies in China. Apple removed all VPN apps from Chinese App Store due to government regulations. However, you can find reliable apps like ExpressVPN from other country’s App Store to use in China. ExpressVPN has many mirror sites to update the connection status in China and always support immediately whenever there is a connection problem. You can unblock all websites like Facebook, X (Twitter), Google and Netflix using ExpressVPN app. This is a must app for foreigners to get connected to the outside world.
5. Bing
Google is blocked in China and you have no other options than using Bing, DuckDuckGo or any other search engine. Though Baidu is the most popular search platform in China, you can’t use without knowing Chinese. Bing is a life safer for most of the foreigners to search online content and find details. Microsoft uses Chinese version of Bing and censors content as per the regulations to survive in Chinese market.
6. China Daily
If you want to keep yourself updated with the local and global news, then China Daily app is for you. This is one of the apps you can get news in English though the content is filtered and biased. You can also use Global Times and CNN app though CNN will be very slow in China.
7. AirVisual
Living in China can lead to health problems especially if you are from western countries where air quality is good. In China, the air quality level is very bad though it is improved a lot recently. 80 to 100 PM2.5 level is common and good in cities like Beijing while it is moderate level of pollution as per Air Quality Index. So, you need this AirVisual Air Quality Forecast app to monitor and wear mask when the pollution level is high.
8. Meituan
Meituan is an online shopping app for buying food, vegetables and other consumable items. You can find KFC, McDonald’s and other local restaurants and order your food easily. The problem is that you need to add the Chinese address so that the delivery guy can find your house. Though the app is only in Chinese, it is more convenient to use for foreigners as well.
9. JD.com
JingDong or JD.com is the most popular ecommerce app in Chinese App Store. You can purchase household, furniture items, mobile phones and any technological related item in JD store. Again, the app is only available in Chinese and hence you need someone’s help to add your local address. You can also use other ecommerce apps like Taobao for online shopping.
10. Didi
Didi is China’s Uber, a taxi-sharing platform. Though the app is offered in both English and Chinese versions, some functions like maps is available only in Chinese. You can order different type of cars, track when the driver will be arrived and chat with the driver if required. Chat conversation will be automatically translated to Chinses or English reducing your hassle.
Final Words
There are so many other apps you can try out in China. For example, translation apps will help you to convert English speech into Chinese. Even apps like WeChat offers built-in translation for converting messages and documents to English language. Start downloading these apps and have an easy life in China.
