15 Apps You Need in China
Coming to China? You’re going to need some help. As much as people may assume China is underdeveloped, this country runs on apps. You literally cannot live a normal life without some of them. Here are 15 apps you need to download when you come to China!
China Life:
1. WeChat 微信
The number one, 100% necessary app is, without a doubt, WeCaht. We don’t really have any equivalent to WeChat in the west, because WeChat is the app that can do everything. It’s main purpose is communication. Instead of using a variety of social media apps or text messages, everyone communicates through WeChat. There is also a social media feature, since you can post pictures and text to a feed, but if you want to communicate with anyone, you need WeChat. It also has a QR scanner, which means you’ll use WeChat anytime you scan a code. If you’re ordering food at a restaurant or renting a bike or scanning a health code, you’ll use WeChat.
Regarding communication, China also doesn’t have the same boundaries I see in the West regarding personal and business lives. Your friend will ask you to go to dinner at the same time your boss is asking if you completed a project—all in WeChat.
WeChat can do other things as well. Book train and plane tickets. Book movie tickets. Translate Chinese text. Pay your phone bill. Scan to get onto the subway. Send money to friends. Pay for groceries. Once you download it, you’ll see how much of your life will revolve around WeChat.
2. Dingtalk or Tencent Meeting 钉钉or 腾讯会议
Once thing that has changed since the pandemic started is the focus on having “work apps.” In the past, all work would be done in WeChat. Now, DingTalk and Tencent Meeting have become popular apps for video conferencing, similar to Zoom. If you’re a teacher doing an online class, you’ll probably be using one of these apps for class. It also allows you to send larger files, something WeChat can’t do.
3. Pleco
Whether you’re fluent in Chinese or can’t speak a word, you’ll need Pleco. This is the best Chinese/English dictionary I’ve ever found, mostly because it shows pinyin and Chinese characters. You can search for new Chinese words, write in characters you see on signs, and type in English words to get a Chinese translation. If you’re serious about studying, you can even turn new words you’ve looked up into flashcards right there in the app. If you have a few free minutes, you can flip through your personalized set of flashcards to learn new vocabulary.
4. Hotels.com
There are a lot of things foreigners can’t do in China, and one of those is stay in any hotel. Technically, foreigners can only stay in certain hotels in China (most of them are 5-star hotels). Anytime you stay at a hotel in China, it’s better to call or ask beforehand if they’ll allow foreigners to stay there. One secret I’ve found is that all the hotels on Hotels.com allow foreigners to stay there. So, if I’ve looking for a hotel that I want to book myself, I only ever go to Hotels.com now. Plus, if you book ten nights on their app, they’ll give you a free night for free!
Money:
5. WeChat or Alipay 微信 or 支付宝
Even in rural areas, paying with cash isn’t really a thing anymore. And credit cards? Even rarer. If you want to pay for something, you’re going to be using one of two methods: Either WeChat or Alipay. WeChat is the number one app in China, so you’ll definitely need to download that one already. If you like, you could go without Alipay and just use WeChat, or also have Alipay downloaded and linked through your bank account.
6. Bank app
When you set up your bank account, the bankers will usually help you download their bank’s app as well. Not only does it make it easy for me to transfer money to other people, but I can also easily check my account balance. And, since I have the app on my phone, I’ll actually get a text though WeChat every time my paycheck comes in, saving me a trip to the slowly-disappearing thing of the past called an ATM.
Shopping:
7. Taobao or Jingdong 淘宝 or 京东
Both of these apps are really similar, and are the Chinese equivalent to Amazon. If you need to buy a t-shirt, Ziploc bags, shampoo, or a new mouse pad, Taobao or Jingdong has literally everything. Jingdong often has faster shipping, but I’ve found that Taobao has more a variety of foreign items that are hard to find.
Food:
8. MeiTuan 美团外卖
UberEats, Postmates, and Doordash all rolled into one. If you want to order food as delivery, this is where you’ll go. There are a few newer apps that also offer food delivery, but MeiTuan is still number one.
9. DingDong 叮咚
Absolutely one of my favorite apps. This is a grocery delivery service that will bring the groceries you ordered to your door in 29 minutes or less. Depending on where you live, DingDong’s produce might even be cheaper than your local grocery store (it is for me!).
Entertainment:
10. VPN
Because China is behind a firewall, you’ll need a VPN to be able to access most (if not all) non-Chinese social media apps and websites. If you want access to Instagram, YouTube, Netflix, or a variety of other foreign sites, you’ll need a VPN to access them, since they’re banned in China. While there are always free options, I’ve found that it’s worth it to pay for a VPN because they tend to be more reliable. I use Witopia, but there are tons of good ones out there. Tip: Download it before you come to China, because once you’re here, it’s a bit harder.
11. Da Zhong Dian Ping 大众点评
If you’re looking for a new restaurant to try to trying to find the closest place to get a caffeine fix, Da Zhong Dian Ping can help. This app will allow you to search your city for food and drinks. You can filter by places nearby or a subway stop you’ll be meeting your friends at. You can also filter by the type of food you want to eat. Japanese? Guangdong style? You can even go a step further and sort your results by the ones with the highest ratings for food or the highest ratings for atmosphere. After a while, the algorithm will start to recommend places to you, and you can save and star restaurants you enjoyed or are interested in going to. This will help you explore your city with a lot more confidence.
Honorable mention: Starbucks app
Like most countries, Starbucks is everywhere in China now. With the Starbucks app, you can order inside the app (completely in English). You can also search for the nearest Starbucks to you, which is great if you need to kill some time or find an easy place to meet up with your friend.
Transportation:
12. Gao De Di Tu 高德地图
This is the Chinese equivalent of Google Maps. There are tons of other apps you could use, like Apple Maps or Baidu Maps, but due to restrictions, Apple Maps is missing a lot of information. Also, most people have started to realize that Baidu Maps is not as accurate as Gao De Di Tu. Everyone I know has now moved over to Gao De Di Tu. You can check how long it will take you to drive a car, ride a bike, or use public transportation to get to your destination. And if you’re using public transportation, it will tell you what subway line or bus to get on.
13. Che Lai Le 车来了
If you’re using buses a lot, Che Lai Le is a must-have. This app will also tell you which bus to use, but it’s a bit more detailed than Gao De Di Tu. It will outline each stop, so you can follow along and make sure you don’t miss your stop while you’re on the bus. Even better, when you’re waiting at the bus stop, the app will tell you how many minutes you have to wait until the next bus comes. That means, when you’re headed to the bus stop, you’ll know whether you can walk at a leisurely pace or whether you should be sprinting.
14. QuNar 去哪入旅游
If you’re planning on traveling, QuNar is a great place to start when looking for palne and train tickets. You can use other apps like Ctrip, but sometimes I’ve had problems with booking as a foreigner. You can also book train and plane tickets on WeChat as well, but I’ve noticed they have fewer options available compared to QuNar.
15. Subway map
If your city has a subway, it’s a good idea to download a subway map. Of course, there are maps in the subway station itself, but It’s always more convenient to be able to check the map anytime and anywhere, especially if you’re new to the city.
What about renting bikes?
Shared bikes are everywhere in China, with many people using it as their main form of transportation. If you’d like to rent a bike by the minute, you don’t need a special app. You can scan the bike’s QR code using WeChat or Meituan. (Warning: Some companies don’t allow foreigners to use their bikes, so keep an eye out for what color bike you can rent!)
So, if you’re coming to China, welcome! Just make sure to download these apps to make your life in China smoother.