China trip guide

Do Zoom, Teams and Google Meet work in China?

Zoom and Teams weren’t blocked in recent tests; Google Meet and WhatsApp need a way past the block. Microsoft also has a better route for Teams calls on the ordinary Chinese internet. Calls in or out of mainland China can lag on congested links, more on some networks and at some hours, so test before an important call and keep a backup.

Updated 6 Nov 2026

ZoomReachable, with limits
Microsoft TeamsA better route for calls
Google MeetUnreliable: Google is blocked
FaceTimeLimited
WhatsAppBlocked

Fig. 01

Video calls from mainland China, at a glance. Whichever app you use, test it before an important call.

App by app

Zoom. zoom.us wasn’t blocked in GreatFire’s latest test from mainland China. In August 2020, Zoom moved to selling there only through local partners, and said people in mainland China could keep joining meetings as participants. Hosting from China? Check with whoever runs your Zoom account.

Microsoft Teams. Teams wasn’t blocked in GreatFire’s latest test either (August 2026), and Microsoft set up a better route with Chinese telecoms for Teams calls and meetings over the ordinary Chinese internet. It also describes companies setting their VPN to leave Teams calls out, so for a work call, ask your IT team how to join.

Google Meet. Google is blocked in mainland China, and GreatFire’s recent tests of meet.google.com all showed interference. You need a travel eSIM that routes data outside mainland China, or a VPN.

WhatsApp. It’s blocked, so its calls need the same way past the block as its messages (the WhatsApp guide).

FaceTime. Apple has limited it. In 2022 its help page said Group FaceTime and FaceTime audio weren’t available in China mainland on iPhone and iPad with cellular; it now says only that they may not be available everywhere.

Why calls drop or lag

Often it isn’t the app. Microsoft says the links out of China are often heavily congested, causing packet loss and delay for all traffic, which hurts large files and audio and video most.

In a 2020 study, measuring in 2019, on more than 70% of the connections it tested, traffic coming into China fell below 1 Mbps for more than five hours every day, whatever the protocol or content. On a call, that incoming side is the other person’s voice and video.

A VPN gets a blocked app past the block, but the call still crosses those links. Google’s own help for Meet suggests switching a VPN off if a call is poor. In China, Meet needs a way past the block, and if that’s a VPN, the VPN you use, and its server, matter.

A call that isn’t blocked
A Zoom call, for example, still crosses the congested links between China and the rest of the internet.
Through a shared VPN
It gets Meet or WhatsApp past the block, on a server shared with many other users, across the same links.
Through your own Tunnelz server
Only you use it, in the fastest region setup finds. It crosses the same links; in our own use in Shanghai, calls didn’t drop.
A Teams call on the Chinese internet
Microsoft says it set up a better route with Chinese telecoms for Teams calls and meetings. Chat and files don’t get it.

Fig. 02

Why calls from China can drop or lag, and what the route changes. Simplified: networks differ, our experience isn’t a promise, and no route is promised to stay open.

Before an important call

1. Test first, on the network you’ll use. Zoom has a test meeting at zoom.us/test. In the Teams desktop app, click … next to your picture, then Settings › Devices › Make a test call.
2. Keep the dial-in numbers. If the invitation lists phone numbers, you can join by phone. Zoom’s depend on the host’s plan, and your carrier bills toll numbers. Teams’ need your company to have Audio Conferencing.
3. Use the strongest connection. Google suggests a wired Ethernet connection if you have one, or 5 GHz Wi-Fi rather than the busier 2.4 GHz band.
4. Turn video off when it struggles. Google’s advice when the network is poor is to join without video.

Fig. 03

Before an important call, and during it. None of these promises a good call.

For family and friends, keep WeChat as a backup: it’s how people in China message, and it has voice and video calls. Set it up at home.

Where Tunnelz fits

Tunnelz is built to get Google Meet, WhatsApp for Mac and other blocked apps working on your Mac, through your own server, which only you use. Setup builds it in the fastest region it finds, and Tunnelz picks the faster protocol on its own. The Smart route sends Chinese sites direct, so WeChat goes direct and stays fast next to Meet.

In our own use, for a few weeks in Shanghai in October 2026, on hotel Wi-Fi and mobile data with a server in Tokyo, calls didn’t drop and YouTube played in 4K. That’s our experience, not a promise: networks and hours differ, so test before a call that matters.

If a call is choppy on hotel Wi-Fi or a phone hotspot, use Switch to the Fastest Protocol, which helps most there. If your server is ever blocked, Replace Server can set up a new one in minutes, as long as the app can reach Vultr. In China that may take eSIM data or another network (how). Every plan has a 30-day refund, so you can try it on your own network. If your company has its own VPN or rules for Teams or Zoom, follow those first.

Only have a phone? A roaming eSIM usually covers this today; Tunnelz for iPhone is coming.

On a Mac: a 10-day Trip Pass, not a yearly plan.

$29.99 + tax, one payment, nothing to cancel. Your own server, not shared with thousands.

Download Tunnelz for Mac

Tunnelz for Mac needs Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. iPhone and iPad are coming to the App Store: get notified. Android and Windows: join the Android waitlist or the Windows waitlist.

Monthly $34.99 + tax and Yearly $199.99 + tax start with 3 days free. Every plan covers 2 devices and has a 30-day refund. Your server is billed to you by Vultr, about $5 a month.

Questions

Does Zoom work in China?

zoom.us wasn’t blocked in GreatFire’s latest test. In 2020 Zoom moved to selling in mainland China only through local partners, and said people there could still join meetings as participants. Test with the host before an important call.

Why does my video call keep dropping in China?

Often it’s congestion on the links out of China, which Microsoft says causes packet loss and delay, and that hurts audio and video especially. Turn your video off, use a wired or 5 GHz connection, and keep the dial-in numbers ready. On a VPN, try another protocol or server.

Will a VPN help my calls in China?

For Google Meet and WhatsApp you need a way past the block: a VPN, or a travel eSIM that routes data outside mainland China. No VPN changes the links out of China, but the server matters: on Tunnelz, with our own server in Tokyo, our calls in Shanghai didn’t drop over a few weeks in October 2026. That’s our experience, not a promise, so test on your network first. Some companies carry staff traffic over private links instead, so ask your IT team.

Does FaceTime work in China?

Not fully. Apple said in 2022 that Group FaceTime and FaceTime audio weren’t available in China mainland on iPhone and iPad with cellular, and that FaceTime links weren’t supported there. Test it before you count on it.

Can I make WhatsApp calls in China?

Not on Chinese networks alone: WhatsApp is blocked. Airalo, an eSIM seller, says WhatsApp works on its China eSIMs without a VPN, though it says nothing about call quality. On hotel Wi-Fi you need a VPN. A Mac needs one too, unless it shares your eSIM’s Personal Hotspot and the plan allows that.

Can I still use Skype?

No. Microsoft retired Skype worldwide in May 2025 and pointed its users to Teams (free), where they can sign in with their Skype account.