How to Access Google Play Store in China? (Updated 2024)
China is the most populated country in the world, boasting of a whopping 1.4 billion as of 2017. It is the one single place with the highest consumption of IT. Android is unarguably the most used operating system on mobile phones. In China, of all the applications available, the inherent Google Play Store is not available on Android mobile phones in China. This article teaches you how to bypass this restriction and access Google Play Store in China. Virtual Private Networks are the way!
What really is Google Play Store?
The Android operating system was developed by Google and launched in September 2008. Ever since, they’ve evolved again, gotten better each time. Google Play Store is an application that Google devised for Android phones to serve as a portal into a digital world of so much more. With the Google Play Store, you have access to downloading many third-party applications that enhance your user experience of the Android system even more. This application, however, does not work in every country in the world. One such country is China.
Why won’t Google Play Store work in China?
China has more than The Great Wall of China. Have you ever heard of the Great Firewall of China? No, this is not a wall that has somehow been set on fire. The Great Firewall of China is a metaphor, denoting the rigidness of China’s internet services, compared to its connection with the rest of the world’s. In simpler terms, if it’s not from China, it probably won’t work in China.
VPN – The Solution
VPN is short for Virtual Private Network and it is indeed the solution. How so? Your Internet Protocol address uniquely dictates your location through a series of complex numbers.
What if you were in China, and somehow fooled the internet into believing that you were in the United Kingdom? This is what a VPN does. True to its name, it provides a virtual IP address that allows you to bypass online geo-restrictions.
Without further ado, we introduce to you the best VPNs you can use to access Google Play Store in China.
ExpressVPN
Features
- Number of servers: More than 3,000
- Speeds: Unlimited
- Server locations: 160 in 94 countries
- Maximum devices supported: 5
- 24 live chat: Yes
- 30-day money-back guarantee: Yes
Pros/Cons
- Fastest VPN out there
- Strict no logs policy
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Few discounts
The first provider on our list of the best VPNs to access Google Play Store in China is ExpressVPN. This provider could just be the biggest name in the VPN industry. They’ve been around for a while, providing privacy, security features, and breaking internet restrictions for billions of users.
With servers in over 160 locations in 94 countries, ExpressVPN can provide genuinely express services to its users. ExpressVPN has fast speeds, as well as unlimited server switches and bandwidth.
The VPN provider also has multiple protocols ranging from OpenVPN (TCP, UDP), to L2TP-IPsec, to SSTP and PPTP. Since there are lots of technical terms, we have discovered that it is best to leave the selection process to the automated system that picks the best for you.
ExpressVPN can work on probably every device that has a screen, and it is compatible with Windows, Mac, IOS, and Android software. With ExpressVPN, up to 5 users can enjoy the VPN’s services on one subscription plan!
With Split-tunneling, ExpressVPN allows users to select the apps they want to use the VPN service for. This is particularly relevant to users in China, who may not need the VPN for local apps like WeChat or Baidu Cloud. With application specificity, speed is even further increased.
ExpressVPN operates a strict no-logging policy that ensures no record of your internet history is kept anywhere. But the icing on the cake is the excellent customer support that is willing to help through technical problems.
If you are not satisfied with ExpressVPN features, – which is highly unlikely – there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Pros: Fastest VPN out there; Strict no logs policy; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: $6.67
NordVPN
Features
- Cryptocurrency accepted? Yes
- Simultaneous connections: 6
- Dedicated IP-addresses? Yes
- Servers: 5342 in 58 countries
Pros/Cons
- Lots of pricing options
- Netflix support kept up to date
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Slow app
Another excellent VPN for accessing Google Play Store in China is NordVPN. This VPN has to be one of the fastest providers around, and this is one of the things that set it apart from the crowd of competition.
To be secure on the internet is one thing; to remain anonymous and private is another. NordVPN protects your IP address by encrypting your internet traffic and routing it through a VPN tunnel. This way, no one else is aware of the websites you visit, or any other online activities you engage in. There’s also unlimited speed and bandwidth.
NordVPN has an automatic kill-switch feature. On the rarest occasion that your internet connection is suddenly breached, NordVPN’s automatic kill-switch is a safety net. It kills your connection and self-aborts all your activities.
As you would expect, NordVPN is compatible with Windows, Linux, Mac, IOS, and Android operating systems, and you can enjoy its services with whatever device you wield. There’s also the option for multiple logins, and as many as six people can enjoy the services of the VPN provider.
Regardless of the time you encounter any problem, the live chat support is ever highly responsive and effective. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee! Who doesn’t like a warranty for fund return?
To access NordVPN, you have to pay for the subscription package, which costs $7 a month. However, you can get a huge discount with a lengthened subscription plan.
- Pros: Lots of pricing options; Netflix support kept up to date; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest price: $3.71
Surfshark
Features
- Free trial? Yes
- Simultaneous connections: Unlimited
- Ad blocking? Yes
- Servers: 1000+ in 61 countries
Pros/Cons
- No footprints
- Allows torrenting
- 256-bit AES encryption
- Not the fastest
You know you can trust a VPN service provider when they complete independent security audits with zero security issues found. The glory of SurfShark is revealed in its name. Surfing denotes ease and seamlessness. Indeed, it makes accessing Google Play Store in China quite easy.
SurfShark leaves no footprints. It clothes you with the invisibility cloak, hiding you from the Snapes that snoop around the Web. With the MultiHop feature, you can be sure of double encryption. Imagine the immense trouble this will bring to those trying to track your movements online.
Keep the ocean clean! SurfShark has the infamous ability to block all ads, malware, and phishing attempts. Everyone knows how annoying and distracting those things can get.
They say if something is too good to be true, it probably is. SurfShark somehow defies that general principle. Unlike most other VPN service providers that have a capped number of users, SurfShark boasts of an unlimited number of users, all with a single subscription. Grand, y’all. Just grand!
Surfshark has over 1040 servers in more than 61 countries worldwide. A considerable amount of those servers are outside China. So, you can unlock access to Google Play Store even from within China without having to worry about server congestion or geographical restrictions.
For a year’s subscription, this comes in at $5.99 per month. Considering its unlimited device feature, this could pass as a fair deal.
- Pros: No footprints; Allows torrenting; 256-bit AES encryption;
- Lowest Price: $2.49
Is VPN legal?
There have been too many debates concerning this issue. We, however, think it shouldn’t be an issue at all. We believe that VPNs are neither wrong nor right. They are, as it were, a-moral (without moral), taking on the character of their user. It is definitely wrong when you use VPNs to purchase nuclear weapons from the Dark Web. Last time we checked, using Google Play Store on your Android isn’t a crime, even in the weirdest sense.
Hence, ladies and gentlemen, beware! Beware, for you are responsible for what you use your VPN subscriptions for! Whatever is normally illegal is still illegal, even if you’re using a VPN service.
What to look out for in a VPN
Many people get VPNs on their devices because of the privacy and security features. But how can you spot a VPN offering you these features? Should you look out for only these features, or are there more factors you should consider before getting a VPN?
Here are the things to keep in mind when choosing a VPN:
- Number of servers: Since you want to access Google Play in China, you don’t need a VPN that has lots of servers in China. Instead, your focus should be getting one with servers in other countries, so that anyone on the network will think you are in that country, not China. An ideal VPN for accessing Google Play Store in China should have thousands of servers, so you don’t have to worry about server congestion or switching.
- Privacy and Security: As we mentioned earlier, top-class privacy and security features are non-negotiable in VPNs. So, features like an automatic kill switch, DNS leak protection, Double VPN, and many others should be present in the VPN you intend to get. But above all other features, make sure you don’t commit to any provider that doesn’t offer a no-logging policy on the table.
- Price: The prices of VPNs play a vital role in deciding the one you should get. Even though there are two categories of VPN (free and paid), we strongly recommend that you only go for the paid ones. Free Chinese VPNs are several steps below their paid counterparts. Among the paid VPNs, virtually all of them offer discounts for long-term subscriptions. If you can get a cheap VPN that meets all your needs, why pay more for the same services?
- Server speed: Gone are the days when people had time to wait for web pages to load. Nowadays, everyone wants a speedy VPN, but how can you tell if the server is fast or not? What readily comes to mind is to change VPNs until you get the one that works perfectly. However, a better solution is to check the VPN’s speed tests.
- Number of simultaneous connections: If you’ve ticked every other factor above, here’s another one to look out for. How many logins do you get on a single account? Any VPN that allows less than five simultaneous connections to a single account isn’t worth getting.
In Conclusion
If you are using an Android device, you deserve to enjoy it, regardless of your geographical location. Google Play Store is a giant piece in this puzzle of enjoyment and fulfillment. Any of the listed VPN service providers will bridge the gap that physical distance and barriers have created. You too can enjoy your Android device in its wholeness even if you’re in China.