Tunnelz

China trip guide

Can you still get a VPN once you’re in China?

Sometimes, but it’s much harder. Many VPN websites can’t be reached from mainland China, and hundreds of VPN apps are missing from Apple’s App Store there. If you already have a travel eSIM that routes data outside mainland China, start there: its mobile data may still get you to them.

Updated

  • On hotel Wi-Fi or a Chinese SIM

    The blocks apply, so many VPN websites and Google Play won’t open.

  • On a travel eSIM’s mobile data

    If the plan routes data outside mainland China, the same pages may open.

Fig. 01
Why the network you’re on matters more than the website. Simplified. No route is promised to stay open.

Why VPN websites won’t open

On a Chinese network, hotel Wi-Fi included, many VPN websites are blocked. Freedom House says hundreds of VPN services are inaccessible in China. It isn’t only the home pages: GreatFire also lists two providers’ order pages, and one provider’s Mac download, as blocked.

App stores don’t get you round it. Hundreds of VPN apps are missing from Apple’s App Store in China, and Google Play is blocked on Chinese networks.

GreatFire’s latest tests from inside mainland China

  • Four VPN providers’ websitesBlocked
  • Google Play: play.google.comBlocked
  • Apple’s store: apps.apple.comUnreliable
  • One eSIM seller’s websiteBlocked
  • Another eSIM seller’s websiteReachable
Fig. 02
Results for each site’s main address, on the dates shown. Most rest on a single test, and blocks change. These are examples, not a ranking.

What to try, in order

None of these is certain, and it’s all easier from home. Start with whatever is already on your phone.

  1. 1. Have a travel eSIM? Use its mobile data. Turn Wi-Fi off first, so your phone doesn’t stay on hotel Wi-Fi, where the blocks apply, and turn on data roaming for the eSIM. If the plan routes data outside mainland China, a VPN’s website or your usual app store may open.

  2. 2. Look in your own App Store. Your Apple Account’s country or region decides which store you buy from, so an account from home isn’t limited to the one in China. That doesn’t promise a download: Apple’s store address was unreliable in GreatFire’s tests, and if a VPN makes you sign up on its website, that may be blocked too. On Android, Google Play is blocked, so you’d need mobile data from step 1 or 3.

  3. 3. Try roaming on your home SIM. In a study of European networks, roaming data went back through the home carrier first, so it may work the same way. It depends on your carrier, and it wasn’t tested in China. Ask how yours routes data and what it costs before you turn it on.

  4. 4. No eSIM at all? Buying one there may not work. Nomad, an eSIM seller, says you can’t buy a new plan from it once you’re in mainland China, and that other international eSIMs have the same restriction. Apple says eSIMs from carriers outside the mainland can’t be installed there, on a page about iPhones bought in China. It doesn’t say whether that covers other iPhones. If you still try, your iPhone must be unlocked, and on Wi-Fi or a hotspot to set one up, and sellers’ websites vary, as the tests above show. A Chinese carrier’s SIM or eSIM won’t help: it has the same blocks as any local network.

Fig. 03
What to try, starting with what’s already on your phone. What to check in an eSIM.

There are two other ways out. On a work trip, ask your IT team: some companies have their own VPN for staff in China. And if your route takes you through Hong Kong, set up there: Freedom House says the mainland’s internet censorship doesn’t yet apply in Hong Kong.

Only install the real thing

Being stuck makes any download look tempting. In January 2025, the security firm DomainTools reported more than 400 websites posing as downloads for VPNs and other software, and delivering malware to Chinese-speaking users. The malware it identified was for Windows, but treat any unofficial download with the same suspicion, on any device. Type the provider’s address yourself or use your phone’s official app store, rather than following a link from a search result or a stranger.

If you can’t get one

You can still get around. Apple lists China mainland for Maps, with directions, public transport and traffic. Amap now comes in English. Alipay and Weixin Pay accept many overseas bank cards. WeChat is how people in China message, though sign-up may need a voice call or a friend who already uses it to scan a code.

Blocked on Chinese networks

  • Google
  • WhatsApp
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Works without a VPN

  • WeChat
  • Alipay
  • Apple Maps
  • Amap
Fig. 04
What you lose without a VPN, and what still gets you around.

Where Tunnelz fits

Not as a rescue. Tunnelz builds your own server first, and in China, Vultr and the checkout are hard to reach without a VPN, so don’t plan on setting it up there. It also needs an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 14 or later; Tunnelz for iPhone is coming.

It’s for your next trip. Set it up at home, which takes about 10 minutes, once, and check that it connects before you fly.

Only have a phone? A roaming eSIM usually covers most of this today.

Questions

I’m already in China without a VPN. What can I do?
Try a travel eSIM’s mobile data if you have one, or roaming on your home SIM, which may work the same way, though that depends on your carrier, so ask first. It’s much harder than at home, because many VPN websites and apps can’t be reached on Chinese networks. If nothing works, Apple Maps, Amap, Alipay and WeChat don’t need a VPN.
Why won’t VPN websites open in China?
Many are blocked on Chinese networks. In GreatFire’s latest tests, four VPN providers’ websites were all blocked from inside mainland China, and Freedom House says hundreds of VPN services are inaccessible there.
Can I get a VPN from the App Store in China?
Don’t count on the China store: hundreds of VPN apps are missing from it. Your Apple Account’s country or region decides which store you buy from, so an account from home isn’t limited to that one, but GreatFire’s tests found apps.apple.com unreliable there. On Android, Google Play is blocked on Chinese networks.
Can I buy a travel eSIM once I’m in China?
Don’t count on it. Nomad, an eSIM seller, says you can’t buy a new plan from it once you’re in mainland China, and that other international eSIMs have the same restriction. Apple says eSIMs from carriers outside the mainland can’t be installed there, on a page about iPhones bought in China. Some sellers’ websites are blocked too. If you still try, you need a phone that supports eSIM and is unlocked, and on an iPhone, Wi-Fi or a hotspot to set it up.
Can I set up Tunnelz once I’m in China?
Don’t plan on it: set it up at home. Tunnelz builds your own server first, and that should be done and tested before you fly. In China, Vultr and the checkout are hard to reach without a VPN.
Is it legal to use a VPN in China?
China has rules on this. They say VPN services need a government licence. Separately, China’s Cybersecurity Law was amended, and the changes have been in force since 1 January 2026. We’re not lawyers and this isn’t legal advice, so check current official guidance, such as your own government’s travel advice.

Sources