Updated 12 October 2026 · LocalKey consultant team
Google Maps is not a reliable plan in mainland China: the UK FCDO lists Google among services permanently blocked there. For navigation, Apple Maps lists turn-by-turn navigation, traffic and transit for China mainland, and Amap offers an English-language site and apps; we suggest installing one before you fly.
Does Google Maps work in China?
Google Maps is not a dependable plan for mainland China. The UK FCDO lists Google as one of the services that are permanently blocked there, alongside Facebook, YouTube and X.
The FCDO page, updated on 27 August 2026 and checked by us on 12 October 2026, adds that the Chinese authorities control internet access. It also notes that China's cybersecurity laws state that online products and services need to be licensed by the Chinese government.
We suggest treating this as a planning task rather than a worry: replace Google Maps as your daily habit at home, where you have time to learn a new app properly. A route you have already searched once on your own sofa is far less stressful than one you try to build for the first time on an unfamiliar street with luggage in hand.
Mobile data is a separate question from maps. We do not rely on Google Maps over roaming or a foreign eSIM, because we have not verified that it works that way. If you need data for the trip, see our eSIM for China page for setup options.
Think of your map app as one tool among several. Your booking confirmations, your hotel details and a person you can message are the others, and the rest of this article shows how to line them up.
Can you rely on offline maps instead?
We would not rely on them for Google Maps. Google's help page says you cannot download offline maps in some countries or regions because of contractual limitations, language support, address formats or other reasons.
Where downloads are allowed, you save an area while you are connected and signed in. That means the download step has to happen before you need it, and it only works if your destination area is offered to you. We suggest checking the offline option in whichever app you choose, at home, rather than assuming it will be there.
An offline map should be a second layer, not the first. We suggest keeping your hotel address, your plan for each day and the LocalKey contact details saved on your phone as plain text and screenshots, so that you are not dependent on any single app opening correctly.
It helps to think in three layers. The first is your chosen map app, set up at home. The second is whatever offline option that app offers, if any, checked before you fly. The third is the plain-text and screenshot set on your phone, which works whether or not any app does. If one layer lets you down, the next is already in your pocket.
Which map apps work in China in 2026?
Apple Maps and Amap both have official pages that describe their features for China, while Google Maps is listed as blocked by the UK FCDO. The table below summarises what each official source says.
It describes stated features only and does not rate app accuracy.
| App | What the official source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | The UK FCDO lists Google as permanently blocked. Google's own help text says offline maps are not available in every country or region, and downloads are only possible where allowed and only while connected and signed in. | UK FCDO — China travel advice (updated 27 August 2026); Google Maps Help — Download areas & navigate offline |
| Apple Maps | Apple's feature availability page lists China mainland for Apple Maps Turn-by-Turn Navigation, Traffic, Satellite and Transit. Transit is listed for named cities only. | Apple — iOS feature availability |
| Amap | The international site is in English and lists navigation, real-time traffic, route recommendations, real-time bus information (mainland China and Hong Kong), shared bikes and ride sharing (mainland China only). Apps are available for iOS, Android (including Google Play) and HarmonyOS. | Amap international site |
If you carry an iPhone, the Apple Maps row is the one to check first. Transit is listed for named cities only, so we suggest checking your own cities against Apple's page before you rely on it for subway planning. If you would rather use an app with an English-language site, the Amap row describes apps for iOS, Android (including Google Play) and HarmonyOS.
Amap lists real-time bus information for mainland China and Hong Kong, while shared bikes and ride sharing are listed for mainland China only. We suggest reading that list against your own route before you assume a feature will be there. Whichever app you choose, we suggest installing it at home.
Baidu Maps is another local app you may come across. We have left its features out here because we did not check an official English source for them.
You do not need to install every app. Pick one, learn it, and keep the rest of your plan simple. Two apps you only half know are harder to use at the end of a long day than one you have already practised with.
LocalKey can plan your navigation setup alongside the rest of your route; see our private China tours.
How should you set up navigation before you fly?
Install Apple Maps or Amap at home before you leave, then open the app and check that it loads your destination. We suggest doing this on a connection you already trust, not in the airport.
Here is a short checklist we suggest working through a few days before departure:
- Open the app and search for your first hotel, so you know the screen is in a language you can read.
- Save the name and address of each hotel in a plain note on your phone, and take a screenshot of each booking confirmation.
- Do the same for your arrival station or airport and for the first attraction on your list.
- Keep the LocalKey contact details saved where you can find them quickly.
- Pack a power bank, because map apps use your battery quickly on a long day out.
Save your hotel address exactly as the hotel sends it, in both English and Chinese if your hotel provides both. Keep the message in your phone so you can show it to a driver.
Show this to your driver:
[hotel address in Chinese, as your hotel sends it]
Do a quick run-through the evening before you fly. Open the app, search for your first hotel, open your saved notes and open the LocalKey contact. If any step takes longer than you expect, fix it at home, where you can take your time and ask someone for help.
For getting around the city, you may also find our China Metro for Foreigners page useful for planning subway routes. For station and airport logistics, see our China train stations page.
What should you do when navigation fails?
We suggest asking hotel staff first and showing your saved address to the driver. Hotel staff can often call a taxi, write out a destination, or confirm your address.
Stop somewhere safe and indoors, such as a hotel lobby, a café or a station concourse, before you start troubleshooting. A map problem is easier to solve when you are not standing in traffic with a heavy bag.
If you use DiDi, our DiDi for Foreigners 2026 page explains how to use it.
If you are still stuck, contact the LocalKey backup team. We suggest keeping the 7×24 WeChat or WhatsApp contact details saved before you travel, so you can reach a person when the map app is not working.
If you would rather not manage navigation yourself, the Private Guided option in the next section keeps a guide and a car with you throughout.
Plan your trip with LocalKey
LocalKey can arrange your own China trip — planned, booked and backed by one team — in two ways. With an Independent trip, you travel on your own with the LocalKey app and 24/7 backup, and there is no full-time guide on any day; a local guide, airport pickup and a private car and driver stay available as on-demand add-ons. With a Private Guided trip, you have an English-speaking private guide and a private car throughout.
Compare the options on our private China tours page: Independent or Private Guided.
Talk to a 1:1 specialist, available 7×24 on WeChat or WhatsApp, to plan the navigation side of your trip.
Sources
- UK FCDO — China travel advice (updated 27 August 2026) — verified_on 2026-10-12
- Google Maps Help — Download areas & navigate offline — verified_on 2026-10-12
- Apple — iOS feature availability — verified_on 2026-10-12
- Amap international site — verified_on 2026-10-12
