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!
App Name | Best for | Key Features | English Support? | Works without VPN? |
Amap | Driving | Real-time traffic, offline maps | Yes | Yes |
Baidu Maps | Public transport | Street views, bike-sharing | Yes | Yes |
Didi Map | Ride-hailing | Integrated with Didi (like Uber), fixed prices | Yes | Yes |
Apple Maps | Iphone users | No real-time traffic | Yes | Yes |
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.
App Name | Best for | Key Features |
Taobao | General shopping | Largest marketplace, diverse sellers |
Pinduoduo | Electronics | Low prices, bargain with sellers |
JD (Jingdong) | Budget and group deals | Fast delivery, guaranteed authentic products |
Xianyu | Second-hand stuff | “Fish Pond” communities, C2C second-hand trading |
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.
NO.1
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.
App Name | Best for | Key Features |
Meituan | Food delivery, groceries | Largest market share, strong logistics (500 + riders) |
Ele.me | Food delivery, Alibaba ecosystem integration | Linked with Alipay and Taobao, supports “minute-level” delivery |
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.
Feature | WeChat Pay | Alipay |
Best for | Everyday chats + quick payments | Investments + online shopping |
Foreign Access | Register with your original number, but need to find a WeChat user to verify | Passport needed |
Language Support | Multi-language | English-support |
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!
Feature | Douyin | Red Note | |
Content Type | Text, images, links, payments | Short videos, live streams | Photos, reviews, tutorials, shopping |
User Base | ~1.3 billion (mostly China) | ~750 million (China) | ~300 million (growing globally) |
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.
FAQs about China App
What map app to use in China?
Amap is the top choice for navigation in China, with English version and accurate updates for road condition.Does Whats app work in China?
No! It’s blocked and needs VPN. Use WeChat instead.Is Tiktok a China app?
Yes, it’s owned by China’s ByteDance (Douyin is its Chinese version).What’s China’s most used app?
WeChat! It has over ~1.3 billion users in China. Best for payments, chats, and social.What is the Chinese app instead of Google?
Use Baidu for search. Red Note offers genuine advice as well~