Essential Apps for China: Five to Install Before You Leave Home (as of November 2026)
I'm a university student living in Dongguan, Guangdong. When I show friends from Japan around, I can't tell you how often someone realizes right after crossing the border, "Oh — I haven't installed the app." Some apps can't be downloaded once you're on the mainland, so this article lists the apps worth setting up before you leave home, as of November 2026. Alipay, for payments, has its own article ("Alipay for Foreign Visitors: Where People Get Stuck in 2026"), so here I focus on the rest.
1. WeChat (微信): messaging and mini programs
In China, WeChat handles almost all communication — the role WhatsApp or LINE might play at home. Restaurant bookings, messages with your hotel, keeping in touch with people you meet: it's all WeChat. The app also contains countless "mini programs," small apps inside the app, and booking entry to sights or ordering at restaurants often happens there.
You can register with a non-Chinese phone number (a Japanese number works, for example). The flow is roughly:
- Install "WeChat" from the App Store or Google Play
- Enter your phone number and the verification code sent by SMS
- Complete the security check (a puzzle or similar) as instructed on screen
- In some cases, you'll be asked to have an existing WeChat user do a "friend verification"
Step 4 is the biggest sticking point. With a new account, you may be asked to have an existing user scan a QR code on your screen. According to WeChat's official help, if no one can help you, there are alternatives such as "Verify via Payment Card" or verifying by activating WeChat Pay. Who can help depends on the country or region, and the guidance on the registration screen takes precedence. WeChat's official help also says not to connect to a VPN while registering. If you know someone in China, asking them before you leave makes things go smoothly.
You can link a foreign card to WeChat Pay as well; see the payments article for details.
(Screen description: swipe down on WeChat's main screen to see a list of recently used mini programs.)
The rest is in the PDF edition.