Should you take a second Android phone to China?

Why?

Travelers in China will need to create a new digital identity because ordering food, navigation, transport and cashless payments require a new set of apps.

This also means that a lot of your personal data will be exposed to Chinese tech companies with no visibility into how it will be used.

In China you will need a mainland mobile number to take an SMS code. Cafe wifi asks for one. Hotel systems ask for one. So you want a local SIM, in a phone.

The eSIM you bought before flying is a different product: it is roaming, often routed via Hong Kong, and it carries no Chinese number at all.

Chinese border officers can legally inspect a traveler's device. It is not routine, and the great majority of visitors come and go without anyone asking. A phone holding two weeks of maps, receipts and noodle photographs can be easily handed to anyone who asks.

Android or iPhone?

Android devices work better in China because it is easier to download Chinese apps, either via app stores or as .apk files. However, Google Play does not work in China (but it will work with an eSIM). The Western iOS App Store will not have the local Chinese apps that you might need.

Android has a better choice of VPN apps that work in China, which you will also need if you want to use local wifi to stream.

So overall, Android devices are easier to set up for the China experience. Buy a cheap unlocked Android, global model, before you go. Before you fly, register WeChat and Alipay while your home number can still receive the codes.

Even if you already have an Android device, you should get a second Android phone.

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