Does Google Maps Work in China? Problems & Solutions

Traveling within China is not always straightforward for outsiders. Being able to find your way around the country is important for tourists. So, does Google Maps work in China? The easy answer is no, Google Maps will not work in China. The Chinese government blocks access to it. However, there are alternative ways to access maps. More on that below.

Beating Around the Bush, Using Alternatives

Think for a moment about the most basic help you can get on your smartphone in any country. Being able to move around a city and use essential services like public transportation is one of the best advantages when you visit a foreign country such as China, where language makes things a bit trickier for visitors. Apps like Google Maps and Google Translate make our visits easier and let us move around with a bit more confidence. The problem is security. The country is very protective of its internal infrastructure from external agencies. Google is an American corporation, so it is considered a potential risk from every angle. That’s why most of its services, as well as many external websites, sit behind the Great Firewall. That means no Gmail, no YouTube, and no Google-related app such as Maps.

Using Google Maps in China, Problems and Solutions

Not being able to use our devices when we travel to a country such as China is a significant handicap that poses two problems. The first issue is data access on your smartphone. You can try to use Google Maps in China with a VPN while connected to a Wi-Fi network, but the minute you get away from it, you will have to rely on a data plan to keep the service running. Being connected to a VPN while using mobile data usually eats up a lot of data and can become expensive. The second issue is that you need access to the blocked Google services, in this case, Maps. If you are worried about other social media outlets, you are right to be: sites such as Instagram, Facebook, and most communication apps are blocked in China as well. Most people in China use apps like WeChat for all of their social media and even for making payments.

The Solutions To These Issues

Regarding data access, the easiest way to solve this issue is to buy international roaming adjusted to your existing mobile plan. These usually work well, but they are costly. The best course of action is to buy a SIM card in the country and run it on your phone. It is much cheaper, but it needs to be set up properly. The final option is to join a global Wi-Fi network to stay connected, but it won’t work if you go too far from it. Regarding the blockade, you can solve this by installing and activating a Virtual Private Network (VPN) on your device. You need to do your homework on which ones can bypass the Great Firewall and get them installed on your phone before making the trip. Once you switch it on, you will be able to use most Google services in the mainland with no issues.

The Best Google Maps China Alternative

We can’t stress enough how useful it is to install a VPN so you can do what you usually do in a place such as China. Sadly, a lot of people are not tech-savvy enough to mess around with network connections and VPNs. Many would rather work with alternatives that work similarly, or that let them download an unblocked map to study and move around. The following is a list of Google Maps China alternatives you can use, but for them to work correctly, you will need to solve the data issue described above.

1st Option, Baidu Maps

Baidu Maps is the most popular alternative to Google Maps in China. The app is widely used by the Chinese for orientation. It’s free and very accurate since it’s centered only on China. This is probably the best map app in China since it will be much more accurate than others and always working. It includes walking tracks, public transportation routes, and alternate options to get from one place to another. It’s available for iOS and Android, but it has one massive drawback: if you don’t know Mandarin, you will be lost with this app since it has no option for other languages.

2nd Option, OsmAnd Maps

OsmAnd is a very viable alternative to Google Maps in China, but it has a few limitations you should know before installing it. It’s easy to download maps to your phone and scroll them while off the network. The app also offers access to data on specific locations by linking directly to their Wikipedia pages, if they have one. It can be managed in English. The downside is that downloading the maps costs a small fee, most of them are not updated, and the English translation of many maps leaves a lot to be desired.

3rd Option, Explore Metro (City-Specific Apps)

A lot of cities have their own apps that grant access to subway maps offline. Most of them have an English option and tend to be very detailed. Popular locations such as Guangzhou, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Shenzhen have this available. Since most of these apps are aimed at tourists, they cost a pretty penny and charge for every download you make. Most of them only offer transportation guides for the subway, not a single one explains how to use bus routes or the location of alternative roads.

All for a Good Cause

If you are a first-time traveler to China, we strongly recommend you set up your device with the suggestions above. You will make your life much easier, especially if you don’t speak any Mandarin. If you know the language, you can try the local options. Hopefully you now have a better understanding of whether Google Maps works in China.