Best China App Guide: Apps in China for Map, Social, Shopping and More

You might want to know what apps Chinese people often use in their daily lives. For a trip to China, knowing these common apps helps you better integrate into the local life.

In this guide, we’ll discover a wide range of aspects about the China app, including transportation, online shopping, food delivery, etc. Read on for more details!

What Map Apps to Use in China?

Use Amap for navigating your tour in China!

In China, Amap is the top app to use for navigating cities and towns. You can search for detailed routes by car, bicycle, motorcycle, walking, metro, and bus. It offers the clearest and most accurate updates about the road condition, like the duration of traffic congestion or the estimated arrival time.

For iPhone users, Apple Maps is also a good choice, with a simple page of map guide. But it is not as good as Amap if you want to navigate through China.

Other choices are Didi Map and Baidu Maps. All of the map apps we’ve mentioned here are English-friendly!

Online-Shopping Apps to Use in China

Credit: from Vulcan Post | Use Taobao for online shopping in China

Enjoy your days in China! If you stay for a long time, you might possibly want to do some online shopping for clothes and daily use.  

Taobao is the top choice to go online shopping in China. It’s the first and largest online shopping website/app in China.

Pinduoduo is the cheapest app to buy stuff you need. JD offers the fastest shipping service. Xianyu is a platform where you can buy second-hand stuff, such as old books, vintage furniture, and electronics.

Note: All shopping apps mentioned above are English-friendly. Go to the "Setting" to change your target language.

What Apps Do Chinese People Use for Food Delivery?

Use Meituan to make your day!

After having a long day in China, take a rest at the hotel. A sudden hunger comes over you. But you just can’t move your body for even an inch…

Then, a food delivery is the top choice to make. Meituan is the top app for ordering food and other bookings like movie tickets, restaurant coupons, hotel reservations…

Ele.me is another great food delivery app in China. It focused on food deliveries, such as milk teas, coffees, and various types of meals.

By the way, JD Daojia is best for supermarket and fresh food delivery. You can order ingredients for cooking with Walmart or Yonghui.

Note: Try to use Alipay's mini-programs (or WeChat) to search Meituan and Ele.me for the English version.

Set Up Mobile Payments with These Apps in China

Credit: from Tech in Asia | Use WeChat Pay for convenience in China

WeChat Pay and Alipay are the most dominant apps in China for payments at stores, restaurants, online shopping… Link a foreign credit card to them.

Book high-speed rail in China! Travel around China without any worries by these bullet trains~ 🚄

Integrating Local Life via Social Media Apps in China

Credit: from China Current | RedNote is perfect for posting your opinions and sharing daily life!

WeChat is one of the most used social apps in China. It’s not just for chatting with your friends, family, or in groups, but also for making payments by scanning QR codes attached to nearly any shops in China.

Other than the basic functions of chats and payments, it covers mini-programs, like Didi car-hailing, Meituan food delivery, booking tickets for trains, hotels, and flights, Maoyan for buying movie tickets, etc.

Red Note is seen as the Chinese version of Instagram, where people post their thoughts, pictures, and videos. Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok ) delivers lots of fun for people to share their daily life, mainly via videos.

Tips for Using the China App

The most annoying part when using the China app is how to register for a China app account. Do you need a Chinese number? Do you need a VPN to use these apps? Check out the following topics to learn better about the China app!

• Consider buying a China SIM card. Some of the apps used in China need a local number to successfully register.
• Some of the apps do not support English. Use a translator/miniprograms in WeChat or Alipay to help you understand Chinese. Most used apps like WeChat, Alipay, Red Note, or Amap are all English-friendly!
• Find multiple functions of China apps. Alipay can also book tickets, order taxis, and rent shared bikes.
• If you need to use Google Translate in China, use a reliable VPN.
• Beware of Ads in apps like Red Note, because many notes are sponsored. Look for more genuine notes on it.