The China pre-flight checklist
Everything that breaks in China breaks before you can fix it. VPN sites are blocked from inside, app stores are unreachable, and verification codes go to apps that no longer connect, so every fix on this list happens at home, ideally a few days before the flight. This page is the condensed version of our 52 China guides: seven setup jobs, roughly ninety minutes total, and the trip runs smooth. Print it, or save it to the Files app where it'll still open on the other side.
1. Install and test the VPN
The non-negotiable one, because it cannot be done later: VPN websites are blocked from inside China and the mainland App Store carries none. Install Traveler's VPN (or whichever you choose, compared honestly here), connect once, and load Instagram through it so you know it works. If VPNs' legal status worries you, we wrote the honest version.
2. Set up payments: Alipay first
China runs on QR codes and your cards barely work at tills. Set up Alipay with your home card (15 minutes, passport needed), add WeChat Pay as backup, and plan on a few hundred yuan of ATM cash for the gaps.
3. Get email somewhere that works
Gmail is blocked, and bookings, boarding passes, and verification codes live in email. Forward Gmail to an Outlook or iCloud address for the trip; both work in China with no VPN.
4. Download everything that can be downloaded
- Entertainment: Netflix, Disney+, Spotify, and YouTube Premium downloads all play offline. Fill the tablet.
- Translation: Apple Translate's offline Chinese pack, since Google Translate is blocked.
- Reference: screenshots of Reddit threads and Pinterest boards, saved articles, and a Kiwix Wikipedia dump if you're thorough.
- Android users: update every app now; the Play Store won't work there.
5. Make your 2FA travel-proof
The quiet trip-ruiner. Confirm roaming SMS works on your number, move what you can to authenticator apps, and check that bank logins won't depend on a code you can't receive. Print or copy backup codes somewhere that isn't Google Drive.
6. Set up WeChat, including the verification hurdle
Your hotel, guide, and every local contact will assume you have it. Register with your home number, and clear the possible friend-verification step while you're still somewhere a friend can scan a QR code.
7. Put documents and maps where they'll open
Tickets, hotel confirmations, and passport scans go in the Files app or Apple Notes, both of which sync in China. Save your hotels and key spots in Apple Maps, the maps app that actually works there, with addresses in Chinese characters for taxi drivers.
The one-line version: if it involves a download, a login, a verification code, or a QR scan by someone you trust, do it before the airport. China is a wonderful trip for a prepared phone and a two-week outage for an unprepared one.
Frequently asked
How far in advance should I do this checklist?
A few days before flying, not the night before: card verifications, WeChat vouching, and a VPN test all want time to fix if something snags. The whole list is about ninety minutes of actual work.
What if I'm already in China and did none of this?
A roaming eSIM purchased and installed via your hotel wifi sometimes works as the escape hatch, since eSIM QR codes arrive by email. iCloud, iMessage, Bing, and Apple Maps work without anything. The VPN, realistically, was a pre-flight decision.
Does this checklist apply to Hong Kong or Macau?
Mostly no: the Great Firewall doesn't apply there and your apps work normally. The payments and 2FA steps are still worth doing for any China-region trip.
What's different for Android users?
More urgency: the Play Store and push notifications break in China, so every install and update must happen at home, and the VPN choice matters even more.
