How to download a VPN in China on iPhone

The plan was to sort this out after you arrived. Now you are at the hotel, half the internet will not load, and the guide you meant to read is one of the pages you cannot open. The situation is still manageable if you focus on the parts that work. This article is meant to be read from inside the country, so it starts with what you can use right now.

What still works from inside China

• The App Store, for your own region. The App Store still follows your Apple ID region. If your Apple ID is set to one of the 11 regions where Nono VPN is available, you can search for, download and update the app as usual. Nono VPN is available in the US, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Australia.
• Your home carrier's roaming data. Roaming traffic is routed through your home operator, so many foreign services work without a VPN while you are using roaming data. It is expensive per gigabyte, but it is the most reliable way to get the first download done.
• Email and most banking apps. Apple's own services, including iMessage, iCloud and FaceTime, also work.

On local Wi-Fi or a local SIM without a VPN, Google, most Western social media, many news sites and plenty of other services will not load. Do not spend an hour testing each one. Assume it is unavailable and move on to the steps below.

Step 1: download the app now, using whatever data you have

1. If you have roaming data, turn it on, open the App Store and search for Nono VPN, or open the store link from our website. Download it before doing anything else.
2. On hotel Wi-Fi, connect, open Safari and load any plain page to bring up the hotel's login screen. Complete the login, then try the App Store.
3. Open the app, sign up with an email address, tap connect and allow the VPN configuration when iOS asks. The free tier starts immediately, with no card or payment required.

If the App Store search finds nothing, your Apple ID may be set to China or another region where Nono VPN is not available. Read create a US Apple ID without a credit card. It takes about ten minutes and does not require leaving the country or a foreign card.

Step 2: if it connects but nothing loads, switch line type

This is the most useful thing to know about networks here: different networks may limit different types of traffic. Nono VPN includes several line types for exactly this reason. If the first line shows connected but nothing loads, open the line list, choose one marked as a different type or in a different location, and try again. On a hotel network, one type may work while another does not. On a local SIM, it can be the other way around. Once you find one that works on that network, stay with it. The app remembers it as the default.

Step 3: keep it working

• Turn off Low Power Mode. It can suspend the tunnel after the screen locks, making it look like the VPN has stopped working. Details in why iOS silently kills your VPN.
• Expect some servers to be blocked over time. When that happens, the app replaces them automatically and lets you know when something is wrong on our side. Reconnecting after a network change is also automatic.
• Keep the app installed and signed in when you leave. That way, it is ready to use the next time you land.

Dead ends that waste your first evening

• Trying to reach a website to download a VPN. Most such sites are blocked, and anything offering a direct download outside the App Store cannot be installed on an iPhone anyway.
• Buying a "ready" Apple ID from someone in a chat group. The seller keeps control of the account and can lock you out, taking anything you bought with it.
• Manual VPN configuration in iOS Settings. That screen is for corporate networks and does not work with line-based apps. Nono VPN does not require any manual setup.
• Reinstalling repeatedly. If the app connects but pages hang, the fix is a different line, not a fresh install.

For the next trip: three minutes of preparation

1. Install the app at home, sign in, and connect once so it saves the line list.
2. Make sure your Apple ID region is one where the app is published, or set up a second Apple ID for the App Store.
3. Decide whether you want the free tier or a plan. The free tier includes a monthly high-speed allowance of about 300 MB and then continues at a reduced speed without cutting off. Plans are HK$58 a month, HK$138 a quarter or HK$398 a year, all with the same features, and a 7-Day Pass at HK$8 is available for short trips.

If something is not working and none of this helps, write to [email protected] with the network you are using and the line you tried. Email gets through, and we answer every message.