
<aside class="answer-box">
<p><strong>The short answer</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Install the international "Amap" app</strong> (Gaode's English version, on the App Store and Google Play). It's built for overseas visitors — English interface and voice navigation — and it does <strong>not</strong> need a Chinese <strong>+86</strong> number the way the China-domestic 高德 app does.</li>
<li><strong>For walking, metro and bus directions you need no account at all</strong> — open it and search. The phone-number wall only appears when you try to log in for a <strong>taxi or shared bike</strong>.</li>
<li><strong>To call a taxi</strong>, log in and have <strong>Alipay or WeChat Pay</strong> set up — Amap now does ride-hailing in 360+ Chinese cities and takes international cards through those wallets.</li>
<li><strong>Skip Google Maps.</strong> It's blocked and its pins are shifted in China. Apple Maps actually runs on Amap's data, so it's a fine backup — but Amap is the one locals use.</li>
</ul>
</aside>

Almost every guide tells foreigners to "download Gaode Maps," then leaves you stuck on a Chinese-only login screen demanding a +86 number you don't have. The piece nobody explains: **there are effectively two Amaps**, and picking the right one makes the phone-number problem mostly disappear. This page sorts that out, plus what you can do with no account and how to actually call a taxi.

## First, why not just use Google Maps?

Two reasons it fails in China, both specific:

- **It's behind the Great Firewall.** Without a [roaming eSIM or VPN](/en/esim/), Google Maps often won't load tiles or route at all.
- **The coordinates are shifted.** China requires a mandatory offset (the GCJ-02 "Mars coordinates" system) on local maps; Google's pins land tens to hundreds of metres off, so a restaurant marker can sit in the middle of a road.

Apple Maps is the exception — **in China it's powered by Amap's own data**, so it's a usable English backup. But for live transit, taxis and accurate walking routes, Amap is what locals open.

## The thing that confuses everyone: there are two Amaps

This is the root of the "Chinese phone number" headache.

| | China-domestic 高德地图 | International **Amap** |
|---|---|---|
| Made for | Residents | Overseas visitors |
| Interface | Chinese-first | English (and other languages) |
| Login | Wants a **+86** number | Works for overseas users |
| Where to get it | Chinese app stores | Global App Store / Google Play |

In early 2025 Amap released a dedicated **international English version** aimed squarely at inbound tourists — English UI and English voice navigation. If you grabbed the wrong (domestic) build, the login screen that keeps demanding a Chinese number is exactly the wall people complain about online. **Install the international Amap from your home App Store / Google Play before you fly.**

## Do you even need an account?

Often, no. Be clear about what is gated:

- **No login needed:** searching places, walking directions, driving routes, and **public-transit (metro/bus) directions**. For a lot of travelers that's 90% of what they use a map for.
- **Login needed:** calling a **taxi/ride-hail**, unlocking a **shared bike**, saving favourites across devices.

So if you only want to find places and navigate on foot or by metro, you can ignore the phone-number prompt entirely — just back out of the login screen and use the map.

## Registering without a Chinese phone number — what actually works

In order of how painless they are:

1. **Use the international Amap app and register as an overseas user.** This is the intended path and avoids the +86 requirement that trips people up on the domestic build.
2. **Don't register at all** for map/transit use (see above) — the simplest option if you won't take taxis through the app.
3. **Use a different app for the gated bits:** call cars through [Alipay or WeChat Pay](/en/pay/alipay-for-foreigners/) mini-programs, which foreigners can run with an international card and a home phone number.

What you should *not* rely on: trying to force a foreign number into the **domestic** 高德 build — that's the dead end the forum threads are full of.

## How to switch Amap to English

If your interface opens in Chinese, the toggle is buried but quick:

1. Tap the **"Me"/profile** icon (bottom-right).
2. Open the **settings cog**.
3. Go to **General → Language Settings**.
4. Choose **English**.

On the international app it's English by default. Setting your **phone's system language to English** also nudges the app to follow.

## Calling a taxi on Amap as a foreigner

This is Amap's underrated trick. It runs ride-hailing as an **aggregator** across 360+ Chinese cities — it doesn't own cars, it dispatches third-party fleets — and it now accepts **international cards through Alipay and WeChat Pay**. Practically:

- Log in on the international app, set your pickup and destination, and request a car.
- Pay through the linked wallet — no cash, no haggling, fare shown up front.
- It's a clean alternative to flagging street taxis when you can't explain your destination in Chinese.

To make this work, sort out [Alipay with a foreign card](/en/pay/alipay-for-foreigners/) before you travel.

## Amap vs Apple Maps vs Google Maps, side by side

| | Amap (international) | Apple Maps | Google Maps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accuracy in China | Best (native data) | Good (uses Amap data) | Poor (shifted pins) |
| Works behind firewall | Yes | Yes | Often no |
| English | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Live transit + taxi | Yes | Limited | No |
| Account needed for maps | No | No | No |

**Rule of thumb:** Amap as your main app, Apple Maps as a no-setup backup, Google Maps only for planning before you arrive.

## What still genuinely needs a Chinese number

Honesty matters here. A +86 number (or a resident account) is still required for a few edge cases: some **loyalty/coupon** features, certain **bike-share** providers' own apps, and cross-device sync tied to a Chinese ID. None of these are essential for a normal trip — if you hit one, route around it rather than trying to fake a number.

## Set it up before you fly — and bring data

Two things to do at home, on Wi-Fi:

- **Download the international Amap** and set English while you still have your app store working normally.
- **Get data for arrival.** A map is useless offline the moment you leave the hotel — install a [roaming eSIM before departure](/en/esim/) so navigation and taxis work the second you land.

## Step by step

1. From your home App Store / Google Play, install **Amap** (the international English version).
2. Open it — you can search and navigate on foot/metro immediately, no account.
3. Only if you want taxis: tap **Me → log in** and register as an overseas user.
4. Set up [Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card](/en/pay/alipay-for-foreigners/) for fares.
5. Land with a [pre-installed eSIM](/en/esim/) so it all works on arrival.

## Sources

- [How to Use Amap (Gaode Map) for Foreigners in China — Trip.com](https://au.trip.com/guide/info/amap.html)
- [How to Use Amap (Gaode Map) in China: A Foreigner's Guide — Trip.com](https://sg.trip.com/guide/phone/amap.html)
- [Amap (Gaode) in English 2026: Foreigner Setup, Taxi, Metro — Wander In China](https://www.wanderinchina.com/survival-guide/useful-mobile-apps/amap-gaode-map/)
- [Amap debuts English navigation app for international tourists (Jan 2025) — China Daily](https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202501/23/WS679200b3a310a2ab06ea8f0c.html)
- [Amap launches China's first multilingual map, 14 new languages — People's Daily](https://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0714/c90000-20339734.html)

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