Detailed China app guide for daily setup, transport, payments, translation, shopping, and travel.

Start with the apps that make the city function.

For most new arrivals, the first priority is not downloading everything at once. It is getting the minimum operating stack in place: one working internet strategy, one payment setup, one banking app, one translation tool, one ride-hailing option, one metro reference, and one food or grocery app that the family can use confidently.

Some apps below are English-friendly and some are not. That matters. The app guide repeatedly points out that English-friendly options can make the first months substantially easier, even when they are slightly more expensive than fully local apps.

Access comes first.

Before transport, food, banking, or shopping become easy, you need reliable internet access and a realistic app-installation path. The source guide starts here because many western services are restricted and because Android users often need local installation options.

These are the apps that unlock daily life.

Alipay and WeChat are central to how most people function in China. They are not just payment apps. They connect payments, transport, mini-programs, food ordering, ride-hailing, translation, and family support features into one everyday operating system.

The tools that make local setup practical.

Tools that reduce friction every single day.

The mobility stack most members end up using.

The apps that make everyday errands easier.

Air quality, parcels, and practical city admin.