How to Unblock Telegram App in China 2018?

Is Telegram app blocked in China? Is there a way to bypass the Great Firewall of China? How to access blocked websites in China? China has the strictest Internet censorship. To use Internet freely in this country, you need extra help. A reliable VPN will help you fix the issue.

Can You Use Telegram App in China?

Telegram is a very popular social media application which offers end-to-end encryption which protects users from any surveillance. Many human rights activists and lawyers use Telegram to chat. It lets you send, encrypt & destruct message and coordinate with partners securely. It’s possible to synchronize your chats across all your devices. Telegram has worldwide servers and delivers messages faster than any other application. Your messages are heavily encrypted and can self-destruct. That prevents hackers and snoopers intercepting your sessions. Besides, Telegram is free. There are no subscription fees or ads when using this app. This is why it has been chosen by so many users all over the world. However, Telegram app is blocked in China. Users in China will not be able to send or receive messages on this app. When you try to use Telegram with an IP address in mainland China, the firewall disconnects you constantly.

Why is Telegram Blocked in China?

As we know, Telegram is a famous and great social media app. How come Telegram is blocked in this big country? Why was it banned by the Chinese government? The story began in 2015 when this application was bombed with cyberattack. Back then, an Asian Telegram server was bombarded with the DOS attack from the different places of Southeast Asia and some of the regions of Australia. Later on, people found out that the attacks were issued by the users of Line and KKT. Though no evidence or official confirmation by the telegram authorities are provided, the Chinese government blocked the usage of this messenger stating it as a threat to the security of the country.

Afterward, the people are not able to get in touch with each other via this social messenger. China operates the world’s largest censorship system, known as the Great Firewall, blocking thousands of websites including popular platforms such as Facebook, Google, Instagram, YouTube and a host of foreign news outlets. Due to several riots caused by online statement, the Chinese gradually recolonizes the power of social media and Internet. They try to control the network and monitor users’ online activities to prevent the citizens from undertaking a plot against the government or terrorist attacks. Telegram app comes with end-to-end encryption. Users’ communications are encrypted. Only sender and receiver can the message. That means the Chinese authorities cannot decipher intercepted communications. Telegram also boasts a “secret chat” feature in which messages can be set to self-destruct after a set period of time. That prevents the government from spying on users.

Some users believe that the Chinese government blocks foreign services to promote their local services. In fact, blocking Western messaging apps like Telegram also funnels users to Chinese alternatives. This sort of protectionist practice can boost homegrown Chinese companies and allow authorities to better monitor behavior. Chinese censors are able to block messages and images in real time sent in private one-on-one chats in WeChat and other applications. What messaging apps work in China? Can you image a life without Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp or telegram app? Most users can’t stand life without social media platforms. In fact, Chinese users have their own social media apps. They use QQ, WeChat, WeiBo, Renren and many more similar applications to contact and share interesting things with their friends. It is awful that they can’t choose which apps are their favorite ones.

How to Unblock Telegram in China?

As we know, the Chinese government develops the Great Firewall of China which is the most advanced firewall on the earth to filter content and prevent users from accessing content they consider as “harmful.” Sensitive key words, domains and application names etc. are added to the firewall system. Once it detects you conduct any activity violating their rules, it blocks your connection immediately. The local ISPs, Carriers and more parties cooperate to help the government censor Internet users. You won’t be able to use Telegram app with the help of Chinese ISPs or servers. To avoid the censorship, you need to hide your location in China and do not let others know what you are doing on the Internet. The ISPs, snoopers and other parties can learn your IP address and track you easily when you browse. How to hide IP address and prevent tracking?

Get a VPN. VPN is short for virtual private network. It encrypts all of your device’s Internet traffic and routes it through an intermediary server in a remote location of your choosing. VPN providers offer worldwide servers in many countries across different continents. Servers in the US, UK, Japan, Australia, Canada and Singapore etc. are available for you. You are free to select among the provided servers. Most providers do not limit the switching between different servers and there is no extra charge on switching. After connecting to remote server, the firewall and Chinese ISP will not know your real location. In this way, you can simply connect to a server outside of China that hasn’t been blacklisted by the Great Firewall so as to unblock Telegram. Likewise, a VPN encrypts your connection to the Internet. As we know, the government spies on users and learn what they do on the Internet. VPN secures your online traffics with military-grade encryption. The government can’t intercept your sessions or figure out you are using the blocked services. In this way, they have no reason to stop you from using Telegram.

Why is VPN the best choice for accessing Telegram in China?

There are other ways to unblock Telegram in China, but VPN is the best choice. Some of you may use Tor Browser or proxy sites to bypass the censorship. Known as the black browser, Tor Browser has been used to unblock banned contents or data that is difficult to find via normal browser and search engine. However, the connection will become slow when using Tor Browser. Proxy sites are another option that let you get access to the news material and the different reports that have been posted on the websites. The problem is proxy sites are illegal in some countries. It is not worth to take the risk. Why is VPN the best solution? The reason is pretty simple. VPN is legal to be used in China due to the fact there are many educational institutes, and business enterprises need the VPN for establishing their private, network. VPNs’ worldwide servers ensure that your connection is secure and fast. No matter where you are, you always can connect to right server to get the best connection. VPN allows you to use Telegram freely just like you are in the US or other country that support Telegram. Currently, VPN is widely used in China to get the access to the blocked websites, online services, and applications.

How to Select the Best VPN to unblock Telegram in China?

You may get confused among the various VPNs in the market. Like picking other products, you need to take many factors into consideration to get a satisfied VPN. In fact, it’s not an easy job to pick the right VPN, especially when you are in need of a VPN for China. It is because VPNs do not work normally in this country due to the strict Internet rules. What’s the best VPN to unblock Telegram in China? How to choose the right product? First of all, these VPN services are reliable. You should know that some providers keep users’ traffic logs and sell users’ private information to the third party for money or other reasons. They may be compromised by the Chinese government and hand over your personal information and browsing histories. It is very important to sign up with the reliable provider.

Secondly, the VPN should be affordable as well as provide correct results. You won’t want to be broke for purchasing a VPN. Many advanced VPNs offers full features while their prices are reasonable. Just pick one of the recommended VPNs. Thirdly, the VPN you select should be capable of hiding the original Chinese IP address and converting it into the IP address of the country whose server is selected by you. If your Chinese IP address is revealed, that will cause the government or ISPs’ attention. Fourthly, the VPN is supposed to keep their user hidden behind the encrypted data that is being passed the Internet via VPN. If your connection is not encrypted, the IP address you use can easily be blocked by the firewall once they know you are using Telegram or other blocked services.

Fifthly, it ought to be primary source to get in touch with the servers that have located outside China and with the help of these servers the people get the access to the blocked Internet services. Servers are very important when unblocking banned services. Last but not least, the VPNs are not disabled by the Great Firewall of China. The firewall not only blocks websites and applications, but also blocks VPNs. The government notices that users utilize VPN to bypass their censorship, so they upgrade the firewall to block VPNs that they detected. Many VPNs have been disabled by the firewall so far. For the VPNs they can’t disable, they choose to block their websites to prevent users signing up or downloading VPNs from mainland China. Therefore, we suggest you purchase and install VPN before you leave for China. Of course, there still are some leading VPNs that work greatly in China. Their websites are not blocked and their software is able to bypass the firewall successfully. ExpressVPN is one of such VPNs.

Free or Paid VPN?

You may wonder if it is worth to invest a VPN. Should you use free or paid VPN? It depends what you want. Some free VPNs can help you unblock Telegram in China, but they can be blocked by the firewall easily. Some of them record your online activities or take the chance to use your device as server. This is how they can get income without charging you. Some VPNs are not malicious while they are not equipped with needed features. They can’t help you circumvent the firewall and use Telegram freely. If you want to use Telegram and be 100% sure that nobody can read your messages, paying for VPN is a necessary. The premium VPNs provide you with high levels of security and regularly update apps to ensure stable access to different websites and apps. You can be sure that your data is not leaking anywhere. Some VPN may come with a hefty price but offer ultimate security and protection in return. You will be able to unlock different types of content, websites, and apps just with one click. We are not saying the more expensive the product is, the better. Simply pick the reasonable one to suit your need.

Other Benefits of Using a VPN

A VPN not only lets you unblock Telegram in China, but also assists you to gain access to all blocked websites and applications. For users who come from the US, they may want access to content that are only available for users in the US. For example, Netflix is a hot streaming service while it is only open to users who are in the US. After users moved to China, they would be refused by this streaming service. VPN services provide US IP addresses and servers to enable you to unblock Netflix abroad freely. VPNs work with similar geo-restricted contents like BBC iPlayer and Hulu etc. VPNs allow users to become anonymous on the Internet and protect their privacy without slowing down connection or putting information at risk. When you use a VPN, your real IP address is masked and your Internet request is redirected to remote server. All of VPN servers are encrypted. The advertisers, snoopers and even your ISP can’t view your real IP address or track your online activities. Many users exploit VPN to avoid ISP throttling and do P2P/torrent. VPN providers allow unlimited bandwidth and do not limit your speed. As VPN encrypts your traffic, the ISP won’t be able to throttle your connection when downloading big size of files. As P2P/torrent is illegal in some countries, users need VPN to keep private and safe when downloading via P2P/torrent. They won’t get caught with the protection of VPN. You will not know what benefits a VPN exactly gives you until you use it yourself. Find out the rest benefits yourself.

Guide to Set Up VPN on Android

1. Unblock the device screen. Tap the Settings icon and select “More” under Wireless & Networks.

2. Select the VPN option on the Wireless & Networks screen.

3. Tap the “+” button and enter the VPN’s details. Give a name to help you remember which VPN is which into the Name field. Then, select the type of VPN server you’re connecting to, and enter the VPN server’s address.

4. Tap the VPN to connect once you finish the setup. You are allowed to choose from the multiple VPN servers configured and switch between them from the VPN screen.

It requires your VPN username and password to login when you connect. If you think it’s inconvenient to enter detail every time, you can save this account information for next time. While connected to a VPN, you will see a persistent “VPN activated” notification in your notifications drawer. To disconnect, tap the notification and tap Disconnect. In this way, you can access Telegram in China on Android freely.

Best VPNs for China or Other Prohibited Countries

Detail of Some VPNs

ExpressVPN:

ExpressVPN is one of the most trusted, secure brands in the virtual private network industry, and that’s for good reason. It has has Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows applications. It’s superfast and extremely safe, boasting an SSL-secured network with 256-bit encryption and, get this, unlimited bandwidth and speed. All its plans are fully refundable and covered by 30 days money-back guarantee. No questions asked.

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PureVPN:

PureVPN is a one-stop solution for online security, anonymity and privacy that guarantees the fastest VPN speed and highest level of security worldwide by providing you with 750+ servers in 140+ countries across the globe. You can enjoy complete web freedom with the industry leading encrypted e-privacy and e-security.

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NordVPN:

NordVPN has a strict zero log policy and uses two security protocols: OpenVPN with 2048-bit SSL encryption and the 3072-bit IKEv2/IPsec that is currently the most secure protocol available in the market. Additional security features, such as DNS leak protection and double data encryption, are also available. Its IP addresses and wide VPN servers enable you to avoid government censorship and geo-restriction. What’s more, the NordVPN service is based in Panama, which has no data retention laws, meaning that none of your data is recorded, stored or passed to anyone.

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Conclusion

It’s true that Telegram is blocked in China. The Chinese government does not want you to use this secure and private application. Any domain, application and contents that are in the list the Great Firewall of China will not be loaded normally in mainland China. VPN is a great method to bypass China’s advanced nationwide online censorship system and unblock Telegram. The reliable VPN can protect you from any surveillance. It hides your IP address and replaces it with server’s IP in any chosen location. The firewall will not censor Internet request raised outside mainland China, so you can unblock Telegram without any issue. We need to remind you that VPNs that are able to defeat the Great Firewall of China are not free of cost, so get ready to pay some affordable price to get the access to the Telegram and other blocked websites. Some of you may have problem in using local services when running VPN. It’s normal because some Chinese websites and applications are only available to users with Chinese IP address. You can change global mode to PAC mode. Your traffic won’t be redirected to remote server when you visit local websites in PAC. Your connection also is fast in this mode. VPN products are very easy to use and it does not require computer skill to get started. Besides, most VPN providers offer 24/7 online tech support. If you have any tech issue, contact them and you will get instant help. When using VPN to unblock Telegram, always choose the server that is near China so that you can get the fastest possible results. Besides, never search or do something that can be offensive to Chinese authorities something traceable by GFW. Grab a VPN to unblock Telegram and get Internet freedom in China now.

Submitted by Josh M. Grove August 1, 2018