Does Gmail work in China?
Not on its own — and not through your phone's mail app either. Here is how to keep your email working, and the backup to set up before you leave.
The short answer
No. Gmail has been blocked in mainland China since 2014, along with the rest of Google (more on Google). Hong Kong and Macau are not affected.
A roaming home SIM, a travel eSIM that routes data outside the mainland, or a VPN installed before you arrive will get Gmail working again.
Your phone's mail app is blocked too
A common surprise: switching from the Gmail app to the iPhone Mail app or Outlook does not help. Those apps still have to reach Google's mail servers to fetch your Gmail, and those servers are blocked in the same way.
With a VPN, both the Gmail app and other mail apps work normally. New-mail notifications only arrive while the VPN is connected, so leave it on rather than switching it on to check.
Set up a backup before you fly
Email is how airlines, hotels and banks reach you, so it is worth a backup that does not depend on any connection working:
- —Forward your Gmail to an address that works in China without a VPN — iCloud Mail and Outlook.com are the usual choices — and turn it off when you get home
- —Set up an authenticator app or print backup codes, so Google's sign-in checks cannot lock you out
- —Download boarding passes, bookings and tickets to your phone rather than relying on opening them in Gmail
Sending email to a Gmail address from inside China works fine — it is only reading your Gmail that is blocked.