Using your iPhone in China – Android Smart phones in China with eSIMS

Last Update May 2025

Be sure to secure your iPhone or Android Smartphone whenever you travel. Precautions will help prevent disaster.

The iPhone or any Android Smartphone is an essential tool when traveling to China for tourists of any country. Google maps, travel guides, language translation, and many other apps are extremely useful. We used them all the time. Using our American AT&T iPhone in China was tricky. We have done the research on our last trip and are sharing the findings with you.

We also have articles on using prepaid SIM cards in other countries:

• Using iPhones in Hong Kong
• Using iPhones in China
• Using iPhones in France
• Using iPhones in the UK
• Using iPhones in Japan

Be sure to read our restaurant reviews for China:

Beijing:

• Da Dong Roast Duck, Beijing
• Dong Hua Men Night Market, Beijing
• Jardin de Jade, Beijing, China
• Made in China, Beijing
• Other Beijing Restaurants Reviews

Shanghai:

• Din Tai Fung, Shanghai, China
• Fu 1039, Shanghai, China
• Jardin de Jade, Shanghai, China
• Jia Jia Tang Bao, Shanghai, China
• South Beauty, Shanghai, China
• Yang’s Fry Dumpling, Shanghai, China
• Shanghai, China Restaurants

Shenzen:

• Fu Gow, Shenzen, China

Guangzhou:

• Shi Qi Lao, Zhongshan, China
• South Sea Fishing Village, Guangzhou, China

Here are some tips on using your iPhone and others in Hong Kong

eSIMs are used by most modern smartphones.  iPhone XS or newer, Samsung Galaxy S20 or newer and others all use this electronic chip to change mobile providers.

Many buy eSims for their phone before they arrive. It does require an unlocked phone. We recommend Airalo – Get $3 off your first eSIM purchase with Code: NORMAN2505

• To be safe, we recommend at least 1GB per person, per day. More if you stream a lot of video.

Nomad eSIM for Asia –  Hong Kong, China, Macau

Nomad has eSIMs for Asia Hong Kong, China, Macau 20GB 45days for $30 – $5 off first purchase with Coupon code: NORMAYUEVW

Airalo eSIM for Hong Kong

Airalo has these eSIMs:

Hong Kong only

• Hkmobile eSIM 10GB, Valid for 30 days US$19
• Hkmobile eSIM 20GB, Valid for 30 days US$32

Asia 18 countries including Hong Kong, China, Macao

• Asialink eSIM 10GB, Valid for 30 days US$37
• Asialink eSIM 20GB, Valid for 30 days US$49

Website access without VPN in China

You need one eSIM for each phone, which becomes pricey, so we use a MiFi mobile router to share one Phystical SIM with multiple devices.

Note: In mainland China, their iPhone models do not support eSIM’s.

Here are some tips on using your iPhone in China

You can only use foreign SIM cards in an unlocked iPhone or Android Smartphone. A locked smartphone only works on the original cell phone carrier. Most cell phone carriers in the US, including AT&T, allow you to unlock Smartphones after your 2 year contract has been fulfilled. T-Mobile requires 18 months of payments before they will unlock a cell phone under contract. You can alternately purchase an unlocked Smartphone from Amazon, eBay, etc.

This article also applies to using prepaid SIM Cards in the iPhone 6, 5s, 5c, 5, 4s, 4, and iPad with 4G or LTE. Android Smartphones utilizing GSM technology are also supported.

Different Smartphones use different sized SIM cards. Most foreign cell phone carriers sell smaller micro-SIM (iPhone 4, 4S, iPad) and nano-SIM (iPhone 5, 5s, 5c, iPad mini) for use in a variety of Smartphones. You should remove the SIM card from your phone before you attempt to purchase a prepaid SIM card in another country.

Cellphone carriers in China

The two main cellphone carriers in China are China Mobile and China Unicom.

Each carrier ties a SIM card to a specific area.  When calling or using data outside of this area, you maybe charged more. Try to buy a SIM for the region you intend to use it for. Recharge vouchers / top-up cards will only work for the area where they are sold. Add value before you travel to a new province.

China Unicom (中国联通)

China Unicom sells the iPhone in China and runs a high speed 4G network compatible with it. They run 3G on the 2100 Mhz band upto HSPA+ speed (max. 21.1 Mbit/s).  and 4G/LTE on 1800 Mhz.

You can buy a prepaid SIM card with a monthly package ( Click on 套餐介绍 ) from 66¥ to 886¥. 3G Solutions has an english listing. Each includes a varying amount of data, texts, and minutes. We purchased a 156 plan that included 420 minutes and 500MB of data. Printout this chart and point to the plan you want.

3G Web Surfing Pass (3G 上网卡)

This data only SIM card is available for smartphones, tablets, Mi-Fi boxes etc.

• 3 GB, valid for 6 months: 3 GB national data: ¥ 300
• 6 GB, valid for 1 year: 6 GB national data: ¥ 600

The monthly boundaries are calendar based, so if you buy your China Unicom SIM on July 31 you would be charged the monthly fee. August 1 you would be charged the monthly fee again. If your timing is lucky, select China Unicom as your provider. These SIM cards lasts for six months. If you own a smartphone that needs a Micro-SIM, such as the iPhone 4, the store selling you the SIM card should snip it for you. iPhone 6 and 5’s require a nano SIM.

We suggest you purchase your China Unicom SIM card from one of their stores to ensure you do not get ripped off by a small vendor. We bought ours from the electronics store Gome. Have the store install it and activate it for you.

China Unicom SIMs automatically sets iPhone Data settings to:

Carrier  CHN-UNICOM

GPRS APN: uninet
3G APN: 3gnet
Username: uninet
Password: uninet (or empty)
DNS: 10.0.2.100
HTTP proxy: 10.0.0.172

China Mobile (中国移动)

China Mobile SIM card package

This is the largest carrier in China, but we do not recommend using them. China Mobile supports does not support 3G/4G on the iPhone, only slower 2G or EDGE data transfers. They support 3G TD-SCMA which is a Chinese standard. Avoid buying this SIM for use on unlocked GSM phones.

Buy a China Mobile Prepaid SIM Card for ¥50 with ¥10 credit on it. Some will sell these SIM cards with lucky phone numbers for more.

Visit a China Mobile Retail Office, show your passport, and buy a data package.

There are 5 data packages you can activate:
¥20 for 150 MB using CMWAP or CMNET;
¥50 for 500 MB using CMWAP or CMNET;
¥100 for 2 GB using CMNET;
¥200 for 5 GB using CMNET;
¥500 for Unlimited CMNET (but not more than 15GB).
extra data: ¥0.01/KB.

We returned to China in 2015 and found different China Mobile stores wanted to sell us different data plans, so your results may vary.

Call 10086 to switch plans or
SMS with text to: BLGPRS at 10086 – will receive a list of choices.
Send SMS at number 10086 with text: KT20, KT50, KT100, KT200 or KT500 and it should automatically switch to a data plan.
Text CXGPRS at number 10086 – receive a stats on your data usage and limits.

Manually set these iPhone Data settings: (Settings – General – Network – Cellular Data Network)

APN: CMNET (use CMWAP for internal wap-sites inside China Mobile network only; ringtones, pictures, etc.).
Username: empty
Password: empty
Gateway Address: 10.0.0.172

These instructions should work for other smartphones including Android based smartphones that support US GSM networks from AT&T and T-Mobile.

The International Travel Security Problem

Many of us travel internationally but few realize how important computer security can be when we visit other countries. People doing business in countries like China and Russia (or any other country for that matter) need to pay strict attention to their technology security protocols to prevent the real and growing threat of high tech espionage. There have been instances of people returning from abroad and having their laptops or smartphones compromised. A mobile device used internationally and later hooked up to the Company’s network provides an excellent infection vector. The folks intent on stealing information could be government or corporate based.

How to Protect Yourself When Traveling

Some people might find the following list a bit paranoid, but you never can be too safe. People that work for major corporations, government, or security firms need maximum protection from attackers. There are tools that can detect the location of a mobile device to within 100 feet and can target phones by the phone number, IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) number and intercept all communications from the mobile device.

• Leave your cell phone and laptop at home
• Buy a phone and SIM card in the other country
• Beware of any SMS message especially if they have links
• Do not bring any sensitive data or passwords
• Use temporary or loaner cell phones and laptops which will be erased when you get home
• Make sure all gadgets are fully up to date and have security software enabled. The best encryption should be utilized
• Never let your electronics out of your site
• If your device gets inspected at the border, it should never be connected to the Company’s network again
• Turn off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi
• Avoid public Wi-Fi altogether
• Do not use a public phone charging cable, it could be capturing video while you charge
• Disable microphones and cameras
• During meetings, turn off your devices and remove their batteries. (Prevents possible recording)
• Use a VPN with heavy encryption to connect to the Internet
• Use Google Voice to create a “throw away” voice accounts
• Do not connect to your Company’s or government’s network while abroad
• Use coded language when discussing sensitive matters
• Cut and paste passwords to prevent keylogging
• Change any and all passwords you used on the trip, immediately
• Enable two factor authentication for services that support this; Facebook, Gmail, eBay, etc.
• Two factor authentication system using SMS text messages is not secure, due to the weak SS7 routing system. We suggest only using two factor when you can use a token or a time based authenticator like Googles.

Following the safeguards listed above will help prevent hack attacks against yourself and your Company. The measures may sound extreme, but the danger is real.