Apps and websites with regional issues in China

This is a regularly-updated reference of popular Western apps and websites that do not load on mainland China networks. It is factual, not advocacy — the status of specific services changes over time, and we keep the list current.

Last verified: April 2026. Next scheduled review: July 2026, or sooner if there is a major network-change event.

Google services

Service	Status	Chinese alternative
Google Search	Unreachable	Baidu, Bing China
Gmail	Unreachable	Outlook, iCloud, 163.com
Google Maps	Partially reachable	Baidu Maps, Amap / Gaode, Apple Maps
Google Drive / Docs	Unreachable	Microsoft 365, WPS Office, Tencent Docs
YouTube	Unreachable	Bilibili, Youku, Tencent Video
Google Meet	Unreachable	Tencent Meeting, Zoom (partial), DingTalk
Google Calendar	Unreachable	Outlook Calendar, iCloud Calendar
Google Photos	Unreachable	iCloud Photos, Microsoft OneDrive
Google Sign-In	Unreachable	— (most apps offer alternative sign-in)

Social and messaging

Service	Status	Chinese alternative
Facebook	Unreachable	WeChat, Weibo
Instagram	Unreachable	Xiaohongshu (RED), Douyin
Twitter / X	Unreachable	Weibo
WhatsApp	Unreachable	WeChat, iMessage, QQ
Signal	Unreachable	iMessage
Telegram	Unreachable	WeChat, QQ
Discord	Unreachable	QQ, WeChat groups
Reddit	Unreachable	Zhihu, Baidu Tieba
LinkedIn	Was operational, currently limited	Maimai
Pinterest	Unreachable	Xiaohongshu (RED)
Snapchat	Unreachable	—

Video and streaming

Service	Status	Chinese alternative
YouTube	Unreachable	Bilibili, Youku
Netflix	Unreachable	iQIYI, Tencent Video
Twitch	Unreachable	Douyu, Huya
Vimeo	Unreachable	Bilibili
BBC iPlayer	Unreachable	—
Disney+	Unreachable	—
Spotify	Partially reachable	QQ Music, NetEase Cloud Music, Apple Music (works)
Apple Music	Works natively	—

News and information

Service	Status
Wikipedia (some editions)	Unreachable
BBC News	Unreachable
NYT, WSJ, Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg	Typically unreachable
The Economist, The Guardian	Typically unreachable
Medium	Partially reachable

Work and productivity

Service	Status	Notes
Slack	Slow but usually reachable	Better with a VPN
Notion	Partially reachable	Slow without VPN
Figma	Slow but usually reachable	Better with a VPN
GitHub	Slow but reachable	Much faster with a VPN
GitLab	Slow but reachable	Better with a VPN
Atlassian (Jira, Confluence)	Usually reachable	Can be slow
Office 365 / Teams	Works natively	Global infrastructure

Dating and community

Service	Status	Chinese alternative
Tinder	Unreachable	Tantan, Momo
Bumble	Unreachable	Tantan
Grindr	Unreachable	Blued

What is easily reachable

Services that work natively on mainland networks without a VPN:

• WeChat, Weibo, Douyin (TikTok's China version), Xiaohongshu
• Apple Services (iCloud, iMessage, Apple Music, App Store)
• Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Office, Teams)
• Amazon (basic shopping, not Prime Video)
• Local Chinese banking apps, Alipay, WeChat Pay
• Local Chinese transportation (Didi, Meituan, Ctrip)