Maps don't load. WhatsApp won't send. Now what?
Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked in China, SIM cards need passport registration, and after the April 2026 crackdown VPNs mostly don't work. Here is what actually does — tested first-hand, no affiliate spin.
Compare eSIM, SIM & roaming
First-hand, ad-free: which option bypasses the firewall and which gets the SMS codes Chinese apps send.
Compare optionsGet online: the setup that works
The combo most visitors actually need — home SIM on roaming + a travel eSIM. Step-by-step, where to buy, SIM-on-arrival fallback.
Set up dataWhy WhatsApp & Google fail
Exactly what is blocked, what still works, and why the block follows the network not your phone — the 2026 answer.
Understand the blockDo you need a VPN?
The honest 2026 verdict after the April crackdown: most are dead — don’t plan around one. What to do instead.
Get the verdictEverything else before you fly
Payments, apps, foreigner-accepting hotels, real-name tickets, the airport flow — the full pre-trip list.
See the checklistSomething broke on the ground
Alipay frozen, hotel won’t check you in, VPN dead, maps wrong — the 12 common snags and the actual fix.
Troubleshoot it
If you want one thing to buy and not read further
Get a travel eSIM from Nomad eSIM and keep your home SIM on international roaming beside it. The eSIM routes through a foreign carrier, so the firewall never applies to it; the home SIM keeps your real number for the SMS codes Chinese apps send. We point people at this one by default because its China plans come in both shapes — unlimited per day, or a fixed amount of data — on China Unicom and China Telecom, hotspot is supported, and a fixed plan that runs low can be topped up from inside China. We re-tested it in September 2026.
It is not the best pick in every case, and the comparison says where it is not: China eSIM vs VPN is ad-free and rates all three against a local SIM and home roaming; Best eSIM for China has the plans, prices and the two-minute install.
See Nomad eSIM China plans