Useful apps for China: transport, maps, translation

The order matters. Sort your connection first, because every other app needs data and most Chinese logins need a phone number. A roaming eSIM bought outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram keep working without a VPN — the simplest setup for a short trip. A local SIM from China Mobile, China Unicom or China Telecom needs passport registration at a store or airport counter and is filtered like any Chinese connection, so you would also need a VPN. Hotel and café Wi-Fi is common but usually asks for a Chinese number to send an SMS code, so keep mobile data on.

Payments come second. Alipay and WeChat Pay both let foreign visitors link an international card, and both need in-app passport verification, which can take a day or two (check). Do this at home, not at a ticket counter with a queue behind you. WeChat is also the messaging layer for hotels, guides and mini-programs that handle bookings; register the account before you fly, because new accounts may need an existing user to verify you.

Then transport. DiDi is the ride-hailing app that works across Chinese cities and has an English interface; Uber does not operate in mainland China. For trains, Railway 12306 is the official booking channel and Trip.com is the easier English-language front end for the same tickets. For city transit and walking directions, Amap (Gaode) has an English interface option and handles buses and metro well; Baidu Maps is Chinese-only but detailed; Apple Maps runs on Amap data and works without a VPN. Google Maps does not work reliably on a Chinese connection.

Translation is the last piece. Machine translation handles menus and signs well enough, and offline packs save you when data drops (check which apps offer offline Chinese packs). For anything that matters — a pharmacy, a hospital, a train change — type it rather than speak it, and show the screen (check). English is limited outside hotels and major attractions, which is worth planning around.

What each app is for, and what to do before you fly.

Do the setup at home on your own Wi-Fi, where verification pages load and your bank can send a code. Every one of these steps is harder on a filtered connection with a queue behind you.

Carry a small cash backup. Mobile payment covers almost everything in cities, but a dead phone or a failed scan at a rural stall is easier with some yuan in your bag.

Keep two VPNs installed if you are not on a roaming eSIM. They fail often around sensitive dates, and the second one is the one that works.

Screenshot your hotel address in Chinese characters. Drivers, station staff and taxi queues all read it faster than an English name, and it works with no signal.