App setup checklist

China travel apps checklist for first-time visitors

In short

Which apps should I install before going to China?

Install only the apps that protect the first day first: data or roaming controls, maps, translation, hotel details, one payment wallet, and a support contact path. Didi, rail, metro, food, and attraction apps matter too, but they are easier after the phone and payment layer work.

Prepare phone access

Applies to

First-time China visitors preparing iPhone or Android app setup before airport arrival, hotel transfer, first meal, payment, rail, metro, Didi, and attraction booking.

Check before you rely on it

App availability, verification prompts, wallet screens, foreign-number support, and Android download paths can change. Test critical apps before boarding and keep screenshots outside the apps.

Do not start with a giant app list. Start with the jobs that protect the first day: data, hotel contact, maps, translation, payment, first transfer, and support.

Use app setup tool Back to apps Save checklist

Priority order

Set up apps by job, not by brand

A first-time visitor needs a working operating stack, not every local app on day one.

Must work before landing

Mobile data or roaming controls
Hotel booking app or saved hotel contact
Translation app with offline or screenshot fallback
One payment wallet you can open quickly
Maps that can show the hotel area

Set up before the first full day

Didi or ride-hailing entry point
Metro or city transport QR flow if supported
Trip.com, 12306, or rail booking account
Attraction booking path for timed sights
Backup messaging channel for hotel or support

Optional after the basics work

Food delivery apps
Review apps and local lifestyle apps
Bike share
Shopping apps
Extra map apps for advanced local navigation

Saveable checklist

Before boarding, check these six things

1.Install core apps before departure, not at the airport.

2.Log in and confirm phone-number or email verification still works.

3.Save hotel address in English and Chinese outside the app.

4.Know where Scan, Pay Code, translation camera, and ride pickup screens are.

5.Keep screenshots for hotel, first route, eSIM details, and payment fallback.

6.Avoid relying on any app that requires a Chinese phone number unless you have a hotel or local fallback.

In short

China app setup questions

Short answers for app list, phone number, Android, payment, and ride-hailing decisions.

What are the essential apps for a first trip to China?

Prepare mobile data or roaming controls, maps, translation, hotel details, one tested payment wallet, and a support/contact path first. Add Didi, rail, metro, food, and attraction apps after the first-day basics are stable.

Do I need both Alipay and WeChat before visiting China?

Many visitors prepare both, but one wallet you can operate confidently is more valuable than two untested apps. Keep the second wallet as backup if setup succeeds before departure.

Do China travel apps require a Chinese phone number?

Some features can work with foreign numbers, while others may request local verification, especially mini-programs, Wi-Fi, delivery, or ticket flows. Treat local-number prompts as a known friction point and keep hotel help available.

Should I use Didi as a standalone app or inside Alipay?

Either can work depending on current app availability and account setup. The practical rule is to test the ride-hailing entry point before you need it and keep the hotel address in Chinese for taxi fallback.

What should Android users prepare before China?

Android users should install critical apps before departure, confirm app-store access, save APK/provider instructions only from trusted sources, and avoid assuming they can easily download everything after landing.

App setup tool

Answer four quick prompts and generate the app setup order for your phone, data, payment, and trip jobs.

Use tool

Phone setup first

eSIM, VPN, roaming, hotel Wi-Fi, and SMS decide whether apps work after landing.

Open phone guide

Payment fallback

A wallet can be installed and still fail at checkout. Prepare the fallback sequence.

Open payment guide

From the authority itself

Shown by the city, not by us

Embedded from the publisher’s own channel rather than a re-upload. Search results for any Chinese landmark are dominated by channels that took someone else’s footage; the videos here were checked back to the body that made them.

UNCLE WANG · Your Beijing Tour Guide | GO BEIJING App

The city government's own visitor app, demonstrated by the body that publishes it. Worth seeing before you install anything: it tells you what a municipal app actually covers, which is a different question from what a commercial travel app covers.

Published by Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism (北京市文化和旅游局) — its own YouTube channel, id UCkvkpj9ceJXqPs4Sj7jkwng on its own channel, which describes itself as “Welcome to the official channel of Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism.” Channel attribution verified 2026-08-23.

This is the city authority's own promotional video, embedded from its own channel — it is not a source for anything on this page. Every figure, deadline and rule here comes from the official documents cited beside it, and those stand whatever a video shows.

UNCLE WANG · Your Beijing Tour Guide | JINGTONG App English Version

The municipal service app in its English version. The reason to watch rather than read a description: you can see whether the English build actually covers the flows you would need, instead of taking a store listing's word for it.

UNCLE WANG · Your Beijing Tour Guide | The International Beijing Web Portal

The city's own English-language portal, shown by the city. Useful as a source of last resort when a commercial page and a rule disagree — going to the municipality's own surface is a habit worth having.