Phones, eSIM & the Internet

Some international services are not reachable from inside mainland China on a normal connection. Whether you need a workaround depends entirely on which apps you cannot live without for a week — decide that in advance.

Everything on this page is general and legal-agnostic: this site does not recommend breaking local rules, and you are responsible for following them.

Connectivity: eSIM beats everything else

A travel eSIM installed before you fly means your phone has data the moment you land, with a foreign or roaming exit point. It costs a fraction of roaming and works immediately.

Physical SIM cards are available at both airports with a passport, but they take time and the cheapest plans are aimed at residents.

Apps you should install before you go

A maps app with offline Shanghai downloaded; a translation app with the Chinese pack; a ride-hailing app; and your wallet app. Do the installs and logins on your home network.

Hotel and airport wifi are fine for messaging and slow for everything else. Assume you need your own data.

Accessing services that are blocked

Many visitors find that some of their usual services do not load on a mainland connection. Travellers commonly arrange their own connectivity solution before arrival. Set it up and test it before you fly — setting it up after you arrive, without access to the app stores you need, is the classic failure.

Whatever you choose, do it at home, on your own network, with time to spare.

What works fine

Chinese apps, Chinese sites, email from most providers, and anything hosted in-country work normally. Metro wifi, hotel wifi and most cafés are fast enough for video calls.