5 Must-Have Apps to survive in Shanghai
Shanghai is a modern city to live in; however, the popular mobile apps in China are quite different from the rest of worlds. This is the sharing based on my experience, 5 must-have apps while you work or long stay in Shanghai and China.
1. WeChat 微信
Unlike Taiwan, we use Line/WhatsApp/Facebook Messenger. In China, they are blocked except WhatsApp. And if you want to connect with the local, you have to use WeChat, which plays not only a communication tool but a payment tool with WeChat Wallet. You can use WeChat Wallet to pay for groceries, split bills while dining with friends, send red envelopes for fun.
2. DiDi 滴滴出行
Don’t worry about the way to get your destination while you have DiDi, reserving a taxi or a private car (just like Uber) and you can also pay drivers via WeChat Wallet or Alipay.
For sure, there are other rent-a-car apps, such as 易到 or 神州. I think Didi is the first one you should have since it works both for taxi and private cars.
3. amap 高德地圖 / Baidu Map 百度地圖
Google Map doesn’t work in China without VPN. Even with VPN, it’s not as good as the local map apps. I have no preference for amap or baidu map; they’re both good. For iPhone user, Apple Map shares amap’s information but not as good as amap itself, still recommend to install a local map app.
4. DianPing 大眾點評
Have no ideas about the place for dinner tonight? You can use DianPing to find the rating of restaurants, bars, spas… (just like Yelp). In my experience, the rating for Chinese cuisine is trustworthy. As for western or Japanese food, maybe it’s not that accurate; the rating of Japanese restaurants recommended by my Japanese friends is usually lower than average scores but quite delicious indeed.
Besides of searching for a nice place, you can also place a delivery order, or book movie tickets with DianPing, an entertainment center for me.
5. Tmall 天貓
eCommerce is super popular in China. You can almost buy everything online with quick home delivery and convenience. Tmall is part of Alibaba group with famous Taobao. On Tmall platform, you can find the flagship stores for both local and international brands with limited worries about counterfeit. Other than Tmall, you can also shop on JD京東 or YHD一號店.
Here are my 5 must-have apps in China. Of course, you will install more when you live longer in the city. Welcome you to share your 5 apps too, or to ask me if you want to know more!
