China is one of those specific countries that, instead of promoting applications developed by different other countries, uses to develop and promote its developer applications.
Chinese people have developed alternatives to every application that people prioritize on an international level.
Similarly, in the case of Messaging Apps, china has specific apps that people use to connect, both for formal and informal purposes.
In this article, you will find out what messaging apps work in China and whether famous applications like Telegram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat have been banned or not.
Name of the Messaging Apps Work in China
The apps We Chat, QQ, DingTalk, MiChat, and Feishu (Lark) are the 5 most widely used messaging apps in China.
Their functionality can not only limited to informal usage; people use these according to their needs and desires.
WeChat – WhatsApp
WeChat is the most famous application among Chinese users, and it is commonly used for communication or conversational purposes.
It is Chinese WhatsApp, which people use to connect with their family and friends.
The primary is used for sharing informal ideas and thoughts and having a chat with loved ones, just as we use WhatsApp.
WeChat was developed by Zhang Xiaolong and his team at Tencent and launched in January 2011.
And it crossed the margin of 100 million users in March 2012, just over a year from its launch.
As of the last reports, this platform currently has more than 1.3 Billion active monthly users.
So, if you are going to visit China, don’t forget to use it and experience how similar it is to WhatsApp on your own.
QQ – Messenger
QQ is an application that you can utilize as a replacement for the messenger app, but it has more unique features combo than Messenger.
In the early times, it was quite famous due to the dominance of WeChat. Its popularity has decreased, but it still has a significant number of users.
QQ was founded by Pony Ma in 1999 and achieved its first 100 Million users in 2002.
According to recent resources, it has about 574 million current users, which is clearly half of WeChat.
Along with keeping the traditional messaging features like a wide variety of emojis, file transferring, status sharing etc.
Include many premium-level features like QQ Music Streaming, QQ Wallet, and QQ Vallet that make it eligible for many different purposes rather than just limiting it to informational usage.
DingTalk – Slack
DingTalk was developed by the Alibaba Group, which is one of the biggest names in the online world and a successful brand.
It was founded in 2014 and first achieved 100 million users in 2018.
According to recent statistics, it has 500 million active monthly users.
We can consider it an alternative to the Slack app, and the primary function of both Slack and DingTalk is workplace communication and collaboration.
Both of these are used for business messaging purposes, but the difference is that Slack is useable on the international level.
Whereas DingTalk in the china.
It also offers features like video or audio calling, task management, attendance tracking, and workflow automation.
A huge portion of users belong to organizations and business fields.
MiChat – Telegram
MiChat, as the name foreshadows (hint), is something related to chatting. MiChat is the Chinese version of the international application named Telegram.
This chatting application was developed by Migu in 2018.
The team members do not publicly disclose the active monthly users of the application.
Quite people among the chatting enthusiasts and those who are interested in building their social network.
Just like Telegram, MiChat allows users to select whether they want to show their number to other users or hide it.
By creating a MiChat ID, you can use it to share with your friends to find you instead of sharing your phone number.
By disabling the feature find me by phone number, you can prevent users from finding you.
However, their usernames will be available to each other in all cases.
A different feature of MiChat from Telegram is that it allows nearby users to connect and chat.
Feishu (Lark) – Microsoft Teams
Feishu (Lark), a well-renowned application among Chinese users, is primarily famous due to its team management features.
The word lark refers to tools designed to enhance team management with many noticeable features.
It has a function similar to Microsoft Teams and is used for professional messaging and meeting conductance purposes.
Allow users to have real-time chat conversations, meetings, document sharing and editing, project tracking, task management for the team workflow, and a dedicated calendar for managing team tasks and schedules.
The app is widely famous among people belonging to business professionals.
What Apps are Banned in China?
Here’s the table of apps banned in China, including the ban year and local alternatives:
| App Name | Banned Year | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Baidu | |
| Gmail | 2014 | QQ Mail, 163 Mail |
| YouTube | 2009 | Youku, Tencent Video |
| 2009 | WeChat, Weibo | |
| 2014 | Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), WeChat Moments | |
| 2009 | ||
| 2017 | WeChat, QQ | |
| Snapchat | 2014 | WeChat, ZAO |
| 2018 | Baidu Tieba | |
| 2017 | Douban | |
| Telegram | 2015 | WeChat, QQ |
| Wikipedia | 2019 | Baidu Baike |
| Twitch | 2018 | Douyu, Huya |
| Slack | 2018 | DingTalk, Feishu (Lark) |
| Dropbox | 2014 | Baidu Cloud |
| Signal | 2021 | WeChat, QQ |
| Medium | 2016 | Weibo, Zhihu |
| 2021 (Limited) | Maimai |
Does WhatsApp Work in China?
No, WhatsApp does not work in China region.
Instead of WhatsApp, you can use WeChat, the most widely used application similar to WhatsApp among Chinese Users.
It will provide you with features similar to WhatsApp.
However, if you need to access WhatsApp, you can use the Vpn service.
But to connect with the Chinese people, you need to shift to this platform.
Does Telegram Work in China?
No, as I mentioned earlier, China is a country with high-end developments in every field.
Similarly, in the tech field, they promote everything made in China.
Telegram does work in China. However, the MiChat application that I described above worked in China.
MiChat ensures every feature that Telegram has.
Does Snapchat Work in China?
Due to china great firewall policy of China western application are blocked including the Snapchat app.
You cannot access the Snapchat while staying in the China boundaries.
Does Gmail Work in China?
No, likewise WhatsApp, Telegram, Snapchat, and Gmail also do not work in China.
The Gmail alternatives that are widely accessible in China are QQ Mail, 163 Mail (NetEase Mail), Outlook, Aliyun Mail (Alibaba Mail), and Sina Mail.
Does Yahoo Work in China?
The default version of Yahoo is also not accessible in mainland China, but the Chinese version of Yahoo called Yahoo China (雅虎中国), is accessible.
It is developed according to the country’s rules and policies of censorship.
Solution for Tourists
If you are a tourist in China and want to access any of these platforms for your unique reasons, consider using a VPN.
But if you are planning to stay in China for the long term, you had better use the alternatives I have provided you in this article.
Conclusion
After taking a deep look at all the information stated, we realized that WeChat is the most widely used messaging app among Chinese users.
Then comes the QQ, DingTalk, MiChat, and Feishu, and all of these are specific in their functionality and fulfill all the functionalities of the Western apps in mainland China.
If you want to know anything more related to the topic, you can ask without any hesitation through comment section.