In order to download applications on your Android smartphone, you need the Google Play Store. Unfortunately, the Play Store does not work in China. First of all, the Chinese Android phones do not have anything called Google. Even if you manage to download the Google Services and Play Store on a Chinese Android phone, you would still need a VPN to run them. So, the best solution is to get the best Google Play Store alternative. Here are all the best Google Play Store alternatives for Chinese Android phones. Pick up the Play Store alternative for your phone now to start downloading countless applications.
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Why no Google Play Store in China?
Google does not comply with the censorship policies of the Chinese government. For this reason, the Chinese government does not allow Google or any of its applications work within its boundaries. This includes all applications including the Gmail, YouTube, Play Store, Play Services, Google Books, Play Music, and everything else that Google has developed till date.
The Chinese government has a strict control over the information that floats through the country. It wanted Google to help with this censorship. Since Google believes in freedom of speech and openness, it refused to do what the Chinese government wanted. As a result, the company hasn’t been able to operate in the country for over a decade now.
The Android operating system is also owned by Google, but in China, the users get a highly modified version of China. Chinese Android phones come without the basic Play Services and Store applications. Manufacturers who use the Android OS on their phones in China, they have developed their own app stores as well.
Can you still access Google Play in China?
Yes, it is still possible to download Play Store on Chinese Android phones. However, there are a few downsides. While using the Chinese Android phones within China, you need a VPN to access Play Store or any other service by Google. Without a VPN, these services will not work. Outside China, you can enjoy all Google applications without VPN. There are various methods to download Play Store on such phones. You can find a few methods on our site as well.
What are the options other than the Play Store?
Like I said earlier, the application giants and smartphone makers have developed their own app stores for the Chinese users. These stores bring all the applications that are legally available in China. You are not going to find the banned applications in these stores either. If you wish to install applications like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and others, you would need the Play Store for those.
The Chinese people have developed alternatives to everything. Be it the app store, the social media platforms, or the communication applications, they have the alternatives to everything. In this post, we are going to take a look at the best free alternatives to Google Play Store for Chinese phones.
- Update: As of 26th October 2019, these are still the best Play Store alternatives for Chinese Android smartphones.
Google Play Store Alternatives for Chinese Android Phones
Here are your best alternatives to Play Store. These Google Play Store alternatives for Chinese Android phones are sorted on the basis of popularity.
Baidu App Store
Found in 2000, Baidu is the world’s second most popular search engine. It has a 76.05% market share in China at the moment. Baidu has a wide range of internet services that it provides. It has its very own maps, it does have its cloud services, and social networks. Baidu has built an App Store for its Chinese user-base. The Baidu App Store has millions of applications.
Baidu App Store is designed to make things easy for Chinese users. It is very easy to make payments on this platform. It also makes it very easy to find the applications that have no restrictions at all. Ever since its birth, Baidu App Store has been serving millions of Android users. Find the Baidu App Store here.
Tencent MyApp
In the world of technology, Tencent is the name that sits among the top few names. The company is known for its social media platform, its music entertainment platform, and the games it has developed. Tencent is popular for developing some of the most popular gaming titles for smartphones. Companies like Epic Games (the guys behind Fortnite), Supercell, and Riot Games are the subsidiaries of Tencent. The famous instant messaging platform QQ is also owned by Tencent.
Folks over Tencent have developed a platform called MyApp. This is an application store for the Chinese Android phones. Users in China can use the Tencent MyApp to download any applications of their choice. While having the Tencent MyApp store, they do not need the Google Play Store. Tencent MyApp is one of the most preferred Google Play Store alternatives. Check out Tencent MyApp here.
Xiaomi MIUI App Store
Xiaomi is known as the Apple of China. The reason for Xiaomi to win this title is because it manufactures great smartphones. Xiaomi has some of the most popular smartphones under its umbrella. The company has also innovated the smartphone industry. With its smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi Mix, it drove the smartphone industry in a new direction.
A huge number of users in China use the Xiaomi smartphones. They have the Xiaomi MIUI App Store in the phones to download the applications. Xiaomi App Store is not limited to the Xiaomi phones only, it can be downloaded and used on other Chinese phones as well. You can find the Xiaomi MIUI App Store here.
Huawei App Store
Just like Xiaomi, Huawei also has its very own App Store. The App Store in the Huawei smartphones is named as the App Gallery. It has all the applications that the Chines government allows in its premises. The Huawei App Store is installed by default in all the Huawei smartphones. This store can be installed on other Chinese phones as well as it comes in the form of an independent application as well. You can find the Huawei App Store here.
Qihoo 360 Mobile Assistant
Qihoo is a competitor of Baidu. It also has a search engine. Qihoo has a wide range of internet services under its portfolio. The company also runs a handful of internet browsers in China. Qihoo has its mobile app store called the 360 Mobile Assistant. This is Qihoo’s answers to the app stores by companies like Baidu and Tencent. The Qihoo 360 Mobile Assistant can be downloaded on any Android phone that belongs to China. Find the Qihoo 360 Mobile Assistant here.
HiMarket
The HiMarket is also acquired by Baidu. HiMarket is mostly installed on the grey-import Android phones and tablets. I am not sure about the reason why the illegally imported smartphones use this App Store. However, its a great source to install the applications on the Chinese Android phones. It can be installed through its APK. The HiMarket independent APK is available on its website. You can find the HiMarket store here.
Vivo App Store
Vivo, the sister company of Oppo and OnePlus has its own store called the Vivo App Store. Actually, there is an Oppo App Store as well. These companies have developed the app stores so that their users do not have to look for third party stores. They have made these applications available for all other smartphones as well. So, if you own a Chinese Android smartphone from a phone maker like Huawei or Xiaomi, you can still use the Vivo App Store on it. Find the Vivo App Store here.
Meizu Flyme
In case you don’t know, Meizu also happens to be a Chinese phone maker. For its users in China, it has a store called the Meizu Flyme. The Meizu Flyme is also accessible on all other phones. You can find the Meizu Flyme here.
Gionee Software Store
When it comes to great smartphones under a very friendly budget, Gionee has quite a name. Gionee has a huge user base in China. The company has started tapping into other markets lately. Gionee’s phones in other countries support the Play Store, but in China, these phones do not have anything called Google. For Chinese users, Gionee has its own app store called the Gionee Software Store. Users can download any applications from the Gionee Software Store. As the stores of Huawei, Vivo, Xiaomi, and Meziu, the Gionee Software Store is also accessible on phones from other manufacturers. Check out the Gionee Software Store here.
Sogou Mobile Assistant
Sogou is another search engine that operates in China. Since there is no Google in China, there is a great room for these search engines within the Chinese premises. Sogou has expanded its business to the Mobile App store as well. It has the Sogou Mobile Assistant that contains millions of applications for the Chinese Android phones. The Sogou Mobile Assistant can be installed on any Android Chinese smartphone. Find the Sogou Mobile Assistant here.
Wandoujia
Wnadoujia is owned by the internet giant Alibaba. The name Alibaba alone is enough to find out the credibility of Wandoujia. This app store is open to all Android phones from all the phone makers. Wandoujia contains all the applications that comply with the rules and regulations set by the Chinese government. Wandoujia is available in the form of an APK and a Website. You can find the Wandoujia app store here.
App Stores of Oppo, Lenovo, and Coolpad
Lenovo Le Store is Lenovo’s Play Store alternative for its phones in China. Coolpad’s Coolmart is its store for all of its devices in China. Oppo users have the Oppo Software Store as the Play Store alternative.
Conclusion
That’s all with the list of Alternatives to Google Play Store. If you have any other Google Play Store alternatives for Chinese Android phones to add to this list, feel free to drop their name below. I hope that you guys find this list helpful. You should be able to bring in the applications of your choice into your phone by using one of the app stores mentioned above. If you have any queries, feel free to reach out to us using the comments section or through our contact us page.
