It’s almost been a year since I arrived at Shanghai.
Confused and excited about my stay on the first night.
Now I love Shanghai full heartedly.
Here’s a list of must have apps for living in Shanghai.
Absolutely must have
I remember on my second day in Shanghai.
I stood by the cashier to look at how people actually use their phone to pay.
It probably made me look like a creep.
Alipay
You can either Scan: 掃一掃 or Pay: 付錢 to pay for stuff.
When you scan, you scan a QR code provided by the store.
Or let the store scan your QR code when you press pay.
You can also transfer money to friend with 转账.
WeChat — The biggest omni-application
Why it’s an omni-app? It’s because it does more than just sending text to your friend.
It can help you pay the bill, buy movie tickets, reserve restaurants, and maybe even find your love ones.
Tip:
If you downloaded the app outside of China, your WeChat Wallet function might not show up.
You can ask a friend to send you 1 RMB, then it will ask you to activate it.
Then you will WeChat Wallet in your app.
Transportation
oFo and Mobike are bike sharing app.
Scan the QR code on the bike and it unlocks.
Don’t ride it into private property.
You might need to pay deposit and submit a copy of your photo ID to start using.
If you would like a more detailed instruction on how to use it, here’s a video.
DiDi — Chinese Uber
Tip:
DiDi now let you add emergency contact on the app.
So you’re a lady traveling at night, your friend and family can know that you’re safe.
I wrote a more in depth comparison between Grab and Didi.
携程旅行 — All your travel needs. Plane, Train, Hotel on lock.
Tip:
For oversea flight, it’s better to check on Flight Scanner to compare price first.
Shanghai Metro or MetroMan — Shanghai Metro Map
They all both pretty good to plan out your metro trip.
高德地图(Amap) and 百度地图(Baidu Map)are both maps in China.
Tip:
Navigation is better on 高德地图.
I use Baidu Map to mark my favorite places.
Food and Communication
Sherpa’s — Food Delivery for foreign food
饿了么（eleme) — Food Delivery for local food
Which ever services you use, don’t expect the delivery man to speak English.
They won’t. Here are some phrases that will help you.
美味不用等 — App for virtually queuing for a restaurant.
With good timing, you won’t have to wait to eat.
In Shanghai, not waiting is rare.
Translation apps are more or less the same.
Bonus: Entertainment and Shopping
XimalayaFM — App for podcast and radio.
Tip:
Constantly listening to local radio will help you learn a foreign language.
When I was learning Japanese, I listened to Japanese radio stations night in and night out.
大众点评 — Yelp for China
Helps you plan for your weekend and dinners.
QQ音乐 — Chinese Spotify
Tip:
Learning how to sing a song in Chinese also helps you in your social life.
Thanks for reading
New to Shanghai? I have compiled a short checklist for your convenience.
