This means you can't send texts, share images and make voice or video calls using the app in China. However, there's good news. With a VPN, you can get around a geoblock and access WhatsApp.
Over 180 countries allow WhatsApp; only five countries forbid WhatsApp use. In Which Country Is WhatsApp Banned? WhatsApp is banned in China, North Korea, Syria, Qatar and the UAE. We have a guide on how to unblock WhatsApp and VoIP services in Qatar and other countries.
Even though WhatsApp is banned in China, a good VPN can unblock it without compromising your safety. A virtual private network encrypts your internet activity, so the Chinese government and internet service providers can't see what you're doing online. If they can't monitor your online activities, they can't block you.
Why is WhatsApp illegal in China? WhatsApp is owned by Facebook, which is also blocked in China. Since Facebook is unwilling to give the Chinese government permission to moderate and censor messages on WhatsApp, they blocked it. In general, the Chinese government seeks to control the information intake of its citizens.
With most messaging apps blocked in China, migrants & tourists find themselves involuntarily having to use China's version of WhatsApp, WeChat.
This means you can't send texts, share images and make voice or video calls using the app in China. However, there's good news. With a VPN, you can get around a geoblock and access WhatsApp.
How do I call to China? In addition to Skype, and Facetime, there are other options, such as Zoom and Whatsapp (but you will need a VPN), WeChat (a Chinese app that works well in China) or a virtual phone number service.
FaceTime links aren't supported in China mainland.
You can start or join a meeting from any international location.
Chinese Social Media FAQs
Instead, the social media sites Chinese use are WeChat, Sina Weibo, Tencent QQ, Tencent Video, Xiao HongShu, Douban, Zhihu, Meituan, Toutiao, and DouYin (TikTok). What is the most popular social media in China? WeChat is the most popular social media in China.
Facebook is just one of the sites and social media platforms banned by the Chinese government. China controls the content that goes on the internet. As such, it makes decisions on what sites are allowed. Any content that the government considers against the state is banned, deleted, or restricted.
Are VPNs legal in China? Yes, using a VPN is legal in China. Even though China has severe restrictions on VPN usage and blocks many VPN providers, consumers can legally use VPNs that still work in China.
Scammers use WhatsApp video calls to lure victims into fraudulent schemes and blackmail. Multiple scam techniques prey on users' attention and trust, from promising jobs to threatening blackmail. Staying vigilant and avoiding engagement with unknown international numbers can protect users from these scams.
Encryption is a crucial aspect of security for any communication platform, and WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for all its messaging and calling features, including video calls. This means that the messages and calls are encrypted on the sender's device and can only be decrypted on the recipient's device.
Some loopholes can be exploited to compromise your safety and privacy during a WhatsApp video chat. Although WhatsApp offers end-to-end encryption, it doesn't extend to securing your phone. So, if someone can install a spy app on your phone, they can see it to screen record your phone while in a WhatsApp video chat.
Wechat and Weibo are the social media giants most used in China. Each has more than a half-billion active users.
Yes. WhatsApp is blocked in China and has been censored since June 2017. The app joins a host of other social media platforms that have been blocked in China.
You can't use Wi-Fi Calling in China, Cuba, North Korea, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, or Vietnam. If your phone has a setting to keep Wi-Fi on while in sleep mode, we recommend you turn it on so you don't miss calls.
There are restrictions on how iPhones sold in China can be used if taken out of the country, just like there are restrictions on things like FaceTime for phones sold in the Middle East. Facetime Audio, is specifically banned / not supported in China. So iPhones sold there have it disabled.
Yes, and no. Typically, on an iPhone, it'd be done only on iPhones sold or manufactured for sale on the Chinese market. It's done by installing a certificate authority, so that they can MITM attack all communications — not just iMessage.
Tencent Video – Largest online video platform in China that provides online Video-on-Demand services and television broadcasts. iQiyi – Owned by Chinese tech giant Baidu and provides high quality original content, user generated content, live-sports, and fully-licensed media.
VooV – best Zoom copycat
VooV (known as Tencent Meeting in China) is essentially a Chinese copy of Zoom and has very similar core features. However, they currently have no meeting duration restrictions even on the free account – so it's a great free Zoom alternative!
The majority of Western social media platforms are blocked in China, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok and many others. In China, there are multiple local social media platforms. The most popular one are WeChat and XiaoHongShu. Is WhatsApp blocked in China?