Internet & Connectivity · common
¿Por qué WhatsApp está bloqueado en China?
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⚠️ SYMPTOM
WhatsApp no envía ni recibe mensajes — los textos quedan con un solo check, las llamadas de voz/video fallan.
🔍 MOST LIKELY CAUSE
El Great Firewall (金盾) bloquea WhatsApp, Meta, X, Google, Telegram, Signal y la mayoría de los servicios occidentales a nivel de red — ningún ISP chino puede redirigir el tráfico hacia ellos.
✓ HOW TO FIX
Instala una VPN que funcione (Astrill, LetsVPN, NordVPN) ANTES de volar. China también bloquea el App Store, así que descárgala en tu WiFi de casa. Las VPN gratuitas no funcionan — las opciones de pago sobreviven entre 6 y 12 meses antes de ser bloqueadas.
Read next
VPN for China
Astrill, LetsVPN, and NordVPN are the most reliable VPNs in China in 2026; install before arrival because the App Store blocks downloads inside China.
SIM & eSIM
Tourist eSIMs from Airalo, Holafly, and Nomad give 7–30 days of China data for $5–$30 without passport registration at a Chinese store.
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Why is my VPN suddenly slow or disconnected in China?
Your VPN worked for the first 3 days and now it disconnects every 10 minutes, or pages load at dial-up speeds.
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Why is my foreign phone not getting data in China?
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