How to Access WhatsApp in China 2018?
No one can deny the fact that WhatsApp has become the most popular messaging app in the world. The user base has gone beyond half a billion people and it is still growing. With WhatsApp, you can send messages, update your status, change your profile picture, share videos, photos, documents, locations, contacts and much more. But unfortunately WhatsApp has been widely blocked in mainland China by the country’s government, with text messaging as well as photo and video sharing not currently functional. Blocking WhatsApp in China means that you may have to say goodbye to your family and friends because you cannot see their updates and status as usual. You will be isolated from the time you come to China. So how to access WhatsApp in China? What’s the best solution to bypass the GFW in China? This guide will provide you with the best way on how to use WhatsApp in China.
What is WhatsApp?
Messaging apps are growing by leaps and bounds, and WhatsApp is still the leader of the pack. It is one of the most popular instant messaging apps for smartphones on the market and over 1 billion users are now using this chat app everyday. WhatsApp has proven to be an enormously popular way of sending and receiving messages, images, and video without paying steep texting fees to local wireless carriers. With this popular messenger, you can chat with your friends, share any beautiful pictures, interesting video and the voice messages to any part of the world without any charges.
WhatsApp Inc. was founded by Jan Koum and Brain Acton, who was the former employees at Yahoo Inc. The company is currently in the process of takeover after Facebook Inc. announced its acquisition of WhatsApp Inc. on February 19, 2014, for US$19 billion. WhatsApp was initially started for Android mobile devices and soon come over to Windows, Symbian, iOS, Blackberry OS. This further helped it to increase its popularity throughout the world.
Advantage of using WhatsApp:
- WhatsApp is completely free for use.
- User-friendly.
- Instantly send message to anywhere in the world without any charges.
- Instantly share your location, photos, status, images, videos with your friends.
- No advertisements on display screen.
- Allow to send 100 messages (SMS) a month to anyone who don’t use WhatsApp.
- Voice call is supported.
- Easy to create groups and chat
WhatsApp is a cross-platform mobile messaging application which allows to exchange messages without having pay for SMS. With WhatsApp, it is so easy to stay in touch with people, and get information from all around the world. However, WhatsApp has been banned in mainland China. If you live in China or are just visiting China for business or holiday purposes, then you will be frustrated because you need WhatsApp to contact your family and friends abroad. So why has China blocked WhatsApp? How to use WhatsApp in China?
Why has China blocked WhatsApp?
Fast forward to 2017, and the Chinese government started to ban WhatsApp for all of its users in China. This meant, trouble for expats living in China. Why the Chinese government blocked WhatsApp?
In fact, most Internet users, whether they have been to China or not, have probably heard of China’s “Great Firewall” and know of the strict censorship the country has on its Internet. China is ruled by Chinese Communist Party and follows a strict Geo-restriction and censorship by Great Firewall of China which has blocked thousands of foreign websites and services. Not only WhatsApp, but other foreign social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Line, KakaoTalk and news sites and live streaming services such as CBS All Access, Netflix, Hulu etc are also not available in China. The main reasons why these sites/services are blocked in China:
- The website content violates Chinese law (including pornographic, gambling or terrorist content).
- The content brings negative effects to Chinese citizens.
- The site contains discordant elements, such as it criticizes China’s government or talks negatively about some party leader.
- Domestic DNS instability.
- Hope to gain an advantage for its local competitors.
The shutdown of WhatsApp prompted considerable dismay on Chinese social media. Since the Chinese government has blocked WhatsApp in China, how do foreign people contact friends and family back home when they are in China? Don’t worry! To use WhatsApp in China, there is a best and safest option – using a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
What does a VPN do?
If you want to successfully access WhatsApp in China or any other countries that blocked this service, you have to hide you real IP address and make it appear to be somewhere else (like United States). So, how to do this in order to unblock WhatsApp in China? What’s the best solution? Actually all you need is a VPN (Virtual Private Network).
Today more and more people have found the benefits of virtual private networks (VPNs). Using a VPN not only can you access social media, apps and websites banned by China’s authorities, but you will get the added bonus of having your Internet traffic encrypted. VPN stands for a virtual private network. It gives the users access to blocked content by providing them with access to their worldwide network of servers. While you are using a VPN software, you just need to choose a server location and connect to it. Once connected, you’ll have access to any content that is available in the location you’ve selected. Your real IP address is hidden by the VPN which makes you look as if you’re actually accessing from the server location, rather than your actual location. A VPN allows people to hide their IP address and keep their web activities anonymous and untracked from any location. With a VPN, you are able to access geo-restricted services and websites like WhatsApp, Line, Youtube, Vimeo, BBC iPlayer, Hulu, Zattoo, Netflix, Pandora and many others while remaining confident that your privacy is never breached.
How does a VPN work?
You may wondering how a VPN works to help you access WhatsApp in China. Before trying to understand how it works, you should realize that every time you connect to the Internet, all your Internet traffic will first pass through your ISPs, that means they can see everything you do online and they can track your behavior and even sell your personal details to advertisers and other third parties.
However, if you connect to a VPN, it will create a virtual encrypted tunnel between you and the remote server. All of the data you sent and received will be encrypted. A VPN provides you with an anonymous web browsing experience and ensures that none of your confidential information is being logged, monitored or exposed and intercepted by third parties. A VPN also allows you to get a new IP address. You will appear to be in the location of the server you connect to. For example, if you are in China and you connect to a server in the US, then you will get a US IP address which allows you to access restricted services like WhatsApp, Facebook, Gmail and Youtube in China. There is no difference between being in the US and using a VPN to pretend to be in the US. With the VPN technology, everything you do while connected to the VPN is fully protected and you will experience true online freedom with no censorship in just a few clicks.
How to choose a VPN to unblock WhatsApp in China?
There are plenty of VPN services in the market but selecting one that works for unblocking WhatsApp in China is not easy. Considering free VPN usually contains some “traps” that may need you to pay for another thing, or even discloses all your browsing and Internet transactions information to a third party, it is not a good option for you. When choosing a VPN, it is extremely important to take into consideration:
- Sever Locations: When selecting the best VPN service you should consider the geographic locations of the VPN servers. Why is it so important? Many foreign social media services (WhatsApp, Line, Kakao Talk, Facebook, Twitter, etc) require that you be in a specific geographic location to use their service. For example, if you live in China and want to use WhatsApp, choosing a VPN that offers a US server location is highly recommended.
- Encryption & Protocols: Encryption is important because it allows us to secure our data, information and even web traffic so no other party can access its contents. There are essentially two strengths of encryption, 128- and 256-bit, with the latter of the two being the strongest. A VPN protocol determines how your data travels between your computer and the VPN server. Best VPNs always offer OpenVPN, SSTP, L2TP, IPsec, IKEv2, and PPTP protocols.
- Multiple Connections: This refers to the number of devices you can connect to the VPN per account. It saves some major money if you can use it on more than one device, so look for a VPN that allows you to connect to both a home and mobile device, at minimum.
- Compatibility: This one’s simple enough. Is their software compatible with your device? If you want to use WhatsApp on iPhone, first check the VPN website and see if they support iOS.
- 24/7 Customer Support: Customer service is always important to an organization because it can help differentiate a company from it competitors. A good VPN service always provides 24/7 customer support giving users uninterrupted, real-time online customer support.
- A Money-Back Guarantee: Since online consumers don’t get to see and hold the physical product before they buy it, a money-back guarantee is quite needed to protect their rights.
If you are still not sure which VPN provider is the best for protecting your privacy and helping you access WhatsApp in China, we offer you a complete 2018 Best VPNs in China comparison helping you to choose.
Best VPNs in China Comparison
| VPN Brands | Key Features | Jurisdiction | # of Connections | Price(USD) | Official Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best-in-class 256-bit AES encryption and 1500+ VPN servers in 94 countries. | British Virgin Islands | 3 Connections | $6.67/Month | Visit Site | |
| 40,000+ shared IPs, 1,000+ VPN servers in 60+ countries. | USA | 5 Connections | $6.49/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 2643 servers in 56 different countries. | Panama | 6 Connections | $3.29/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 70+ global servers Locations. | Switzerland | 3 / 5 Connections | $5.00/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 700+ VPN servers in 34+ countries. | Israel | 3 Connections | $2.49/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 30+ locations and Unlimited bandwidth. | Malaysia | 5 Connections | $4.99/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 750+ VPN servers in 140+ countries. | Hong Kong | 5 Connections | $2.04/ Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited Bandwidth with 300+ VPN Servers. | Seychelles | 3 Connections | $3.33/Month | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited access to over 200 servers for you to choose from in 69 countries. | Bulgaria | 6 Connections | $4.92/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited Bandwidth & 2000+ IPs in 50+ Countries. | USA | 5 Connections | $5.95/Month | Visit Site | |
| Servers in 30+ locations around the globe. | Germany | 1 Connection | $4.99/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Unlimited and free servers switches in many countries. | Italy | 5 Connections | $4.32/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 3034+ Servers in 28 Countries. | USA | 5 Connections | $2.91/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 28 Servers in 8 Countries. | USA | 3 Connections | $4.19/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 100+ Servers from 47 Countries in 63 locations. | Romania | 1 Connection | $1.10/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| Over 1000 Servers Worldwide. | Romania | 1 Connection | $1.99/Month ( | Visit Site | |
| 46 Cities in 25 Countries, Zero Logs. | USA | 1 Connection | $5.83/Month ( | Visit Site |
Guides on How to Access WhatsApp in China:
Step 1. Sign up for a VPN service.
Step 2. Follow the instructions for downloading your VPN and launch the application on your preferred device(s).
Step 3. Log in with your credentials and choose which server to connect to (Hong Kong VPN and USA VPN are the best choices).
Step 4. Log in your WhatsApp account and enjoy chatting and sharing with your friends!
Video on How to Access WhatsApp in China
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Conclusion:
The Great Firewall of China has blocked many popular websites and services including WhatsApp, Vimeo, StarSports, Dropbox, Netflix, OneDrive, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, KakaoTalk, Line and Youtube. If you wish to use WhataApp in China (abroad), a VPN service is required to bypass location-based IP blocking. For users in Mainland China, Hong Kong VPN and USA VPN are the best choices. Experience the Internet without restrictions with a VPN now. Escape the Great Firewall and stay connected on WhatsApp at all times, at anywhere.