6 Things You Need To Know About Launching Your App Into China

4 min readJun 20, 2018

Launching your app into China offers a huge opportunity which most app developers and publishers can’t afford to miss.

Here are 6 Things you need to know before launching your app into China.

1. Learn About the Different App Stores

There are hundreds of different Android mobile app stores in China, with each one focusing on a different sector of the market.

Unlike everywhere else in the world, Google Play only has a limited market share. They have only just recently launched into the market and have been slow to generate traction. Here are the top 10 stores from April 2016.

2. Optimize for Speed

It’s important to be aware that China’s mobile networks are a lot slower than most of the other developed countries. So it’s necessary to ensure that your app isn’t too graphics or video heavy.

If it is, then it could cause users to use up a lot of data while using the app. This also means that it’s going to be slow to load, which will put off a lot of people from becoming regular users.

By optimizing your app’s data usage, you can ensure that it works effectively on a slower network.

3. Learn About the Local Social Media Platforms

It is important to note that Facebook and Twitter aren’t used in China. Therefore, if you’re relying on these platforms by using ‘sharing’ features to create viral growth, you might have to re-think your strategy.

The best social media platforms to generate growth in China are WeChat, YouKu, Weibo, and Sina.

In terms of advertising, Tencent and Weibo are the two major players due to their large user base, high engagement and strong mobile presence.

For mobile messaging, WeChat is the biggest and most popular. However, please be aware that within China, its marketed as Weixin.

Advertising spend on China’s social media networks is enormous and is predicted to reach over US$5.33 billion in 2016.

4. The Market is Growing Rapidly

The mobile app market in China is potentially one of the most profitable markets in the world, with over 600 million mobile users already online.

Due to China’s fast growth as a developing country, most of the population are ‘mobile-only’ internet users. In terms of overall internet penetration, it has now reached over 50%.

The low cost of smartphones has meant that it’s now possible for a large part of China’s population to finally afford a device and connect to the internet.

Android devices are the most popular in the country, with Samsung and domestic manufacturers like Xiaomi and Huawei, winning the majority of the market share.

5. Target the Apple App Store

Although Android stores dominate the market, the best store to monetize your app is via the Apple App Store. China’s consumers love Apple products, especially the more affluent in their growing middle and upper classes.

Research from appannie.com shows that China has the second highest number of iOS app downloads in the world, with the U.S. in second place. And in terms of revenue, China is currently third.

6. Translate Your App

A large portion of China’s population can’t speak English. Because of this, you probably need to localize your app into the Chinese language to have major success.

Translation from English to Chinese can be a tricky process, so make sure you invest in high-quality translators.

Also, Chinese sentences are laid out quite differently on the screen compared to English. So, it’s important to make sure your interface can handle the new changes as it will affect the layout and in-app design.