Does it work in China?
Pick an app and get a straight answer — blocked, unreliable, or works — plus the Chinese app locals use instead. 54 of the 74 apps here are blocked by the Great Firewall, and the fix is usually simpler than people expect.
Or pick a common one
Blocked in mainland China (54)
You need a travel eSIM or a VPN to reach these at all.
Works, but unreliable (11)
Reachable some of the time — expect slowdowns, timeouts or censored results.
Works without a VPN (9)
Fine on a normal mainland connection.
Looking for the Chinese version of an app?
Uber → DiDi, Google Maps → Amap, WhatsApp → WeChat, Yelp → Dianping. We keep a full side-by-side table of Western apps and their Chinese equivalents, with a note on which ones a visitor can actually use in English.
Frequently asked questions
Does WhatsApp work in China?
No. WhatsApp has been blocked in mainland China since 2017, for both messages and calls. To use it you need a travel eSIM that routes your data through a foreign carrier, or a VPN installed and tested before you arrive. Locals use WeChat instead.
Does Google work in China?
No. Every Google service — Search, Gmail, Maps, Drive, Photos, Translate and YouTube — is blocked in mainland China. Anything that signs in with a Google account will also fail. Baidu is the local search engine, and Amap replaces Google Maps.
What apps are blocked in China?
Of the 74 popular apps tracked here, 54 are blocked — including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, all Google services, Telegram, Signal, Netflix, Spotify, Reddit, Wikipedia and most Western news sites.
How do I use blocked apps in China?
The simplest way is a travel eSIM bought before you fly: your data routes through a foreign carrier, so blocked apps generally work with no VPN. The alternative is a reputable VPN, which you must install and test before arriving, because VPN sites and app-store downloads are blocked once you land.
Do I need a VPN in China?
Only if you want to reach blocked services on a local connection. A travel eSIM or international roaming usually bypasses the Great Firewall on its own. A Chinese SIM card or hotel wifi sits inside the firewall, so with those you would need a VPN.
China TravelPal publishes travel information, not technical or legal advice. What the Great Firewall blocks changes without notice and can vary by city, carrier and time of day — cross-check anything critical with a live tracker such as GreatFire.org (live censorship tracker) ↗. Last checked July 2026.