Using your iPhone in China – Android Smart phones in China

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

The iPhone is an essential tool when traveling to China for Americans. Google maps, travel guides, language translation, and many other apps are extremely useful. Using our United States, USA AT&T iPhone in China is tricky. Verizon iPhones from the USA do not work internationally. Here are some tips on using your iPhone in China. We also have an article on using iPhones in Hong Kong – using iPhones in China – using iPhones in France - using iPhones in Germany - using iPhones in Italy – using iPhones in the UK

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

You can only use foreign SIM cards in an unlocked iPhone. If you have had your iPhone for two years and completed your contract, call your carrier to have it unlocked.

Jailbreaking and unlocking iPhones are not easy tasks.  (We use redsn0w.com and ultrasn0w.com) Be sure to change your default SSH password.

One slip and you may have bricked your expensive smartphone. We recommend buying a pre-jailbroken/unlocked used iPhone from eBay or Craigslist.  iPhone 3G’s typically cost around $150. Make sure you carry a paper clip with you.

This article also applies to the iPhone 4S, 4 and iPad 3G, but you need to cut the SIM into a microSIM.

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

China Unicom

China Unicom sells the iPhone in China and runs a high speed 3G network compatible with it.  You can buy a SIM card with a monthly package ( Click on 套餐介绍 ) from 66¥ to 886¥. Each includes a varying amount of data, texts, and minutes. We purchased a 156 plan that included 420 minutes and 570mb of data. Printout this chart and point to the plan you want.

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 5′s require a nano SIM.

China Unicom SIM card package

We suggest you purchase your China Unicom SIM card from one of their stores to ensure you do not get ripped off. We bought ours from the electronics store Gome.

China Unicom SIMs automatically sets iPhone Data settings to:

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

China Mobile SIM card package

China Mobile supports does not support 3G on the iPhone, only slower Edge data transfers.

Buy a China Mobile SIM for ¥50 with ¥10 credit on it.

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 2011 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.