China Apps Checklist for Tourists: What to Download Before You Go

So you are going to China. You have heard you need to download apps before you go — but which ones? And what actually works when you are inside the country?

I landed in Shanghai last year with only WhatsApp installed. That was a mistake. By the time I figured out I could not access Google Maps, could not pay for a taxi, and could not even download DiDi because Google Play was blocked, I had wasted an hour in the arrivals hall.

This list saves you that hour.

The Five Apps You Need Before You Land

The honest truth: you can survive in China with five apps installed, provided you set them up before departure. Everything else is nice-to-have.

1. Alipay

This is non-negotiable. China runs on QR code payments, and Alipay is the easiest option for foreigners. You can link a foreign Visa or Mastercard (not Amex, not Discover), and once linked, you can pay at 99% of shops, restaurants, and convenience stores by scanning a QR code.

Set up before you go: download the app, register with your passport, and link your card. The verification process can take 24 hours, so do it at least two days before your flight.

2. WeChat

Everyone in China uses WeChat for messaging. It also has a payment feature (WeChat Pay), but that requires a Chinese bank account for full functionality. Even so, you want WeChat installed because group chats are how people organize things, many restaurants use it for digital menus, and you can message hotels and drivers through it.

WeChat works without a VPN inside China. Download it and set up your profile before you go.

3. DiDi

DiDi is China ride-hailing app. You can call a taxi, a private car, or a luxury car from most Chinese cities. DiDi has a full English interface and works with foreign credit cards. The downside: without a Chinese phone number, the ride confirmation SMS can be unreliable. Keep a paper address card handy as backup.

Pair this with the show to driver tool — it prints your destination in large Chinese characters that taxi drivers can read.

4. A VPN or an eSIM That Includes One

Inside China, Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and many news sites are blocked. You need a VPN to access them.

Two options: install a VPN app before you go (most need setup outside China), or get a China-specific eSIM that includes VPN routing (like Holafly or Nomad — these work out of the box).

For iPhone users, check the eSIM comparison tool for China-specific data plans.

5. A Navigation App

Google Maps is blocked. Apple Maps works reasonably well for turn-by-turn navigation but is not great for public transit. Download Baidu Maps or Gaode Maps — they are the dominant navigation apps in China and both have English interfaces.

The Full Checklist

App	Purpose	Works Without VPN?	Foreign Card?	Download Before?
Alipay	Payments	Yes	Yes (Visa/MC)	Yes (verification takes time)
WeChat	Messaging, menus	Yes	Limited	Yes
DiDi	Ride-hailing	Yes	Yes	Yes
VPN/eSIM	Internet access	N/A	Yes	Yes (must set up outside China)
Baidu Maps	Navigation	Yes	N/A	Nice to have
Google Translate	Translation	No	N/A	Yes (download offline packs)
Meituan	Food delivery	Yes	No	Optional
Ctrip/Trip.com	Hotel booking	Yes	Yes	Optional

Pre-Departure Timeline

Here is a realistic timeline for getting everything set up without last-minute panic.

Two weeks before: buy a China eSIM or VPN subscription. Some providers take a day or two to activate, and you want time to test it while you still have unrestricted internet access.

One week before: download Alipay, register with your passport, and link your credit card. If the verification fails (it sometimes does with certain Visa cards), you have time to try a different card. Do not leave this for the airport.

Three days before: download DiDi, WeChat, Baidu Maps, and Google Translate. Set up your profiles, add a profile photo, and confirm your phone number for each app. Test them with WiFi to make sure nothing is broken.

The night before your flight: double-check that the VPN or eSIM is active. Download the Google Translate Chinese language pack (open the app, go to offline translation, download Chinese). Put all your essential apps in a folder on your home screen so you can find them quickly at the airport.

What About Google Translate and Uber?

Google Maps is blocked. Download the app and the Chinese language pack before you go. The offline translation pack still works inside China.

Uber sold its China operations to DiDi in 2016. The Uber app will not work for rides inside China. Use DiDi instead.

WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook are all blocked inside China. If you need to stay in touch, get a VPN and install these apps before you go.

The One Thing Nobody Tells You

Download everything before your flight. Inside China, Google Play is blocked, the Apple App Store is accessible but slow, and many app download sites are blocked. If you land without the apps you need, you will be stuck using airport WiFi that often requires a Chinese phone number for SMS verification — a circular dependency that is frustrating to break.