7 must have apps that will vastly improve your life in China

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It’s crazy to think that in 15-20 years that cell phones have been available to the general public that they have become an essential part of daily life.  If you don’t have a smartphone nowadays, then you either just lost it or you’re 7 years old. ‘Smartphone’ is an apt name: with the plethora of apps available you can turn your phone into anything you need, be it a personal guide, a flashlight, a conversion tool, a radio, a TV, or pretty much anything else you can think of. But with so many apps available that can transform your phone, how do you know which ones you’ll actually need and use? Not to worry, I compiled 7 essential apps that will help you in your daily life. All of these apps are available on both Android and Apple phones.

Meituan 美团 

This is one of those apps that turns out to be the gift that keeps on giving. The catch is, it is entirely in mandarin. But for those with a basic ability to read Chinese this app will open many doors- some of which you never knew existed. This app can help you find restaurants, order delivery, find deals and coupons, even buy tickets for events. So if you know a bit of Chinese and want a challenge then get this app and get to it!

StumbleUpon

Imagine an app similar to the sharing ability of Reddit and the newsfeed of Facebook- only more useful, informational, customizable, and without stupid memes or abrasive political posts. That is what StumbledUpon is. It’s essentially a collection of articles about everything under the sun. The customization feature of the app makes it so that only things you’re interested in comes up on your newsfeed. You do this by giving thumps up or thumbs down on articles that you find interesting or stupid. A great way to spend some free time on the subway or taxi. 

Mint

Okay, so this one is for a very specific type of person: people like me. People who need just a little help to see where their salary goes every month. A lot of people are drawn to China initially with promises of high salaries and low cost of living that will allows you to grow your savings. Whether you’re a student or working full time, being able to visually see where your money goes can allow you to budget a little better and save more money. You input your income and set a budget for different spending categories. Mint then puts these into easy to read pie charts and graphs. There’s even the ability to receive personalized emails and messages for spending patterns and alerts for going over budget, making it a little easier to become the master of your own finances. 

Didi Chuxing (滴滴出行) & Uber

Where would a list of helpful apps be without at least one ride hailing app? If you’re alive then these two apps need no introduction. Since their inception only a few years ago, the global app Uber and China’s Didi has created an entirely new industry. Despite widespread protests against Uber, both of these apps are responsible for driving down the cost of getting from point A to point B in a taxi. The great thing about Uber is that it is prevalent in a long list of countries, meaning that if you travel you can use Uber to catch a ride just about anywhere. Plus, in contrast to Didi, the app is in English, making its ease of use for expats that much better. Not to mention both of these apps just recently became officially legal in China.

沪江开心词场 (hu jiang kai xin ci chang) aka HJ Happy words

I’ve been in China for just over a year. Because I work full time I don’t normally have the time to study Mandarin, leaving my mandarin in somewhat poor condition. I consistently have to rely on a translator app (like Pleco) to relate to some of my coworkers and in my daily life in general. This app remedies that by making it convenient to study new words anywhere. I only recently discovered it, but I am already hooked. After you get the app you download different lessons (first picture below) and learn in a flashcard style manner complete with quizzes to test your retention of different vocabulary (second picture). You can even have a head to head game with a random person- or friend- to see which of you has better mandarin. Despite the app itself being in Mandarin it is surprisingly easy to use and I recommend it to anyone who wants to up their Chinese language skills. 

TripAdvisor

Who hasn’t used TripAdvisor.com at least once? The website is incredibly useful to find out what attractions, events, and restaurants are good in any corner of the world. The listing for businesses come complete with pretty accurate maps, real customer reviews, hours of operation, and more. TripAdvisor also has an equally capable app that can help you plan your trip to a different country by discovering common pitfalls, hotels, and pretty much anything else you need to comfortably travel. Even if you aren’t traveling, TripAdvisor can help you discover new restaurants and other businesses in your area. 

Pleco

One of the better translation apps available. Most expats in China swear by this app and it is already widely known. Besides the obvious direct translation part of the app, Pleco can scan Chinese signs and menus, will recognize characters you draw with your finger (no matter how crudely drawn they are), and can assist in your learning by using the in app flash cards. There’s plenty of add-ons available-though they do cost money.

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