Which Apps and Websites Are Blocked in China? Full List

Google, Facebook, YouTube and X are reported as blocked in China by the UK travel advisory, but a useful service list must distinguish that warning from dated network measurements and account rules. This full list covers the 15 services disclosed below, not every website on the Internet. A website result does not establish whether its app, login, calls or file transfers work.［1］

The OONI measurements below describe selected web addresses, not every function of an app.

Key Takeaways

• Every measurement row has a specified hostname, date window and network scope.
• Anomaly, confirmed blocking, test failure and successful access are different outcomes.
• Platform eligibility and app-store availability are separate from reachability.
• Prepare approved alternatives; do not depend on any single connection method.

What should you prepare before departure?

Make a list of the actual tasks you need: contacting family, joining a work meeting, downloading a document or checking a booking. Ask your employer about approved connection arrangements and the correct service tenant. Save necessary travel information offline, and agree on a permitted backup communication channel. The China connectivity overview provides the broader planning context.

Where local law, network policy and platform terms permit your intended connection, AethoVPN can be prepared before travel for the network-access step: install the official Windows installer or Android APK, or obtain iPhone, iPad or Mac configuration through the official setup guide with Pro or Premium. Select a currently available location in the app and verify the exit with the IP-location tool before checking the specific permitted function. A successful tunnel does not guarantee that every listed service works or confer account eligibility.

Treat advance preparation as a chance to verify the permitted arrangement, not proof of future availability inside mainland China. If permission or legality is uncertain, obtain the appropriate advice instead of relying on a generic recommendation.

New users can start the 3-day Pro trial, available once per user.

The MIIT explanation concerns unapproved cross-border telecommunications business and describes lawful enterprise access arrangements. It should not be expanded into blanket permission for any personal VPN use. Our product paragraph is conditional; it is not a country-specific authorization opinion.［6］

How was the list of services blocked in China compiled?

The quantitative sample uses OONI's official aggregation API for country code CN and the Web Connectivity test, from 1 September 2026 inclusive to 1 October 2026 exclusive. It was retrieved on 5 October 2026. For each named hostname, we retained HTTPS root-page inputs with an empty path or /; we did not merge arbitrary subdomains or infer a service's entire infrastructure from its name.［2］

The aggregation's network field is the probe ASN, which identifies a network rather than a city or user. The count of ASNs shows the spread of this sample, not national representativeness. Volunteers choose what to measure; coverage is not a probability sample of China's residents, and repeated measurements are not independent users.［3］

N means total measurements, OK means successful test classification, A means anomaly, C means confirmed classification, and F means test failure. We retain all five rather than reporting a misleading “blocked percentage.” A failure is not automatically censorship, and an anomaly needs analysis before it becomes a confirmed conclusion.［3］

The source dataset is shared across all four language versions. No row is a test we ran from inside China. Retrieval date is not measurement date, and this September window does not prove the result on a later journey.

What does the measured service sample show?

Each row covers the named root webpage, not app messaging or authenticated functions. Evidence date is 1–30 September 2026 for every row; checked date is 5 October 2026. The linked service article provides task context, not additional measurements silently added to these counts.［2］

Category / service	Root hostname / function	N / OK / A / C / F	ASNs	Evidence conclusion
Communications / Telegram	telegram.org	212 / 7 / 105 / 1 / 99	16	Confirmed evidence in some measurements
Communications / WhatsApp	www.whatsapp.com	209 / 18 / 99 / 0 / 92	15	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Communications / Signal	signal.org	204 / 8 / 94 / 1 / 101	16	Confirmed evidence in some measurements
Social / Facebook	www.facebook.com	705 / 22 / 137 / 0 / 546	18	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Social / Instagram	www.instagram.com	741 / 35 / 170 / 8 / 528	18	Confirmed evidence in some measurements
Social / X	twitter.com	712 / 21 / 148 / 0 / 543	18	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Search / Google	www.google.com	51 / 0 / 40 / 0 / 11	6	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Work / Slack	slack.com	46 / 46 / 0 / 0 / 0	7	OK only in sample
Work / Teams	teams.microsoft.com	47 / 45 / 1 / 0 / 1	6	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Work / Dropbox	www.dropbox.com	44 / 1 / 37 / 0 / 6	5	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Video / YouTube	www.youtube.com	700 / 21 / 143 / 0 / 536	17	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Development / GitHub	github.com	15 / 5 / 8 / 0 / 2	6	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
News / BBC	www.bbc.com	62 / 1 / 27 / 1 / 33	12	Confirmed evidence in some measurements
News / New York Times	www.nytimes.com	71 / 1 / 47 / 0 / 23	9	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result
Reference / Wikipedia	www.wikipedia.org	44 / 1 / 40 / 0 / 3	6	Mixed / anomalous; no confirmed result

“Confirmed evidence” means some measurements received OONI's confirmed classification. It does not mean every measurement, ASN, function or later date was blocked. A mixed row retains its successful, anomalous and failed observations rather than forcing one countrywide label.［3］

For Google, Facebook, YouTube and X, the travel advisory separately warns of permanent blocking. That advisory is travel guidance and has no disclosed ASN-level measurement sample here. It supports its stated warning, not a rewriting of the OONI counts or a guarantee about every request.［1］

Why are apps and websites separate questions?

The Telegram, WhatsApp and Signal rows are webpage measurements. They do not exercise sending a message, establishing a call, fetching attachments or logging in. OONI has dedicated messaging tests, but those are not included in this article's Web Connectivity sample. Do not substitute a homepage result for an application test.［3］

The same boundary applies to office tools. Slack's root page had 46 OK classifications on seven ASNs in this window. That finding says nothing directly about a workspace's WebSocket connections or file uploads. Slack's official troubleshooting documentation identifies additional connection requirements, so the task needs its own checks.［4］

Teams had 45 OK, one anomaly and one failure across six ASNs. Microsoft also documents Teams operated by 21Vianet as a distinct China service context. A result for teams.microsoft.com is not a test of every 21Vianet endpoint, tenant relationship or meeting feature. Confirm with your administrator which service and account you actually use.［5］

GitHub's root-page sample is particularly small: 15 measurements across six ASNs. Even a successful page load would not verify clone operations, package downloads or Actions. The linked developer article addresses those tasks, while this list keeps the measured endpoint explicit.

What about eligibility and app-store downloads?

All 15 rows have two further fields that remain unverified by this dataset: platform account or region eligibility, and availability in the reader's app store. We intentionally do not assign “available” or “unavailable” to either from a network result. A permitted account and a downloadable app require different evidence.

Google's Play guidance explains that account country or region affects which apps and content are available. That is a platform rule, not an OONI measurement. Do not assume changing the network address changes payment-country requirements, workplace membership or the account's supported region.［7］

Prepare software only through official or employer-approved channels and preserve recovery access permitted by your organization. Avoid unfamiliar installers offered as a “China version” without a verifiable publisher. The phone preparation guide covers the device-planning side without treating installation as proof of access.

If a platform says your account is not eligible, address that with the platform rather than recasting it as a network block. A transport change cannot supply missing contractual permission. Similarly, an app missing from a store does not alone show that its website is blocked.

How should you use an uncertain row?

Use uncertainty to choose a backup and a more specific question. For a mixed result, identify the hostname and function you need, the relevant network, and the date. A colleague's success on a different network is useful context, not a guarantee for yours. Avoid sharing credentials or private workspace names in a public report.

A successful test supports only the tested request. It may be useful when deciding which tasks need further checking, but it should not be advertised as universal reliability. An anomalous test is a lead for analysis; a failed test can also reflect circumstances unrelated to a block. None of these labels replaces the actual error details.

For practical fault isolation, use the mainland-China service diagnosis guide. That guide distinguishes maintenance and account issues; this article supplies a dated endpoint sample. Keeping those jobs separate avoids repeating a troubleshooting procedure inside every data row.

For travel, carry a connectivity preparation checklist and a permitted fallback. Do not repeatedly attempt sensitive logins during unexplained failures. If a work network or local rule forbids the proposed arrangement, stop and consult the responsible administrator.

Summary

• This is a complete disclosed sample of 15 services, not an exhaustive national blocklist.
• Read root-webpage results with their September date window and ASN scope.
• Keep OK, anomaly, confirmed classification and test failure separate.
• Verify app functions, account eligibility and downloads through their own evidence.

FAQ

Does this list include every site blocked in China?

No. It contains all 15 services in the disclosed sample. The Internet is larger, and measurement coverage does not support a claim of an exhaustive national list.

Does an OONI anomaly prove blocking?

No. An anomaly signals a difference requiring analysis and can have other causes. Confirmed classifications have a narrower evidence basis; failures are retained separately rather than automatically called blocks.［3］

Does an OK homepage prove the app works?

No. A webpage test does not exercise messaging, calls, authentication or file transfers. Those functions may use different endpoints and need appropriately scoped checks.

Are Slack and Teams simply blocked everywhere?

That claim is not supported by this sample. Their root pages had substantial OK results, while authenticated workplace functions and service tenants remain outside the tested scope.

Does a downloadable app guarantee service access?

No. Store availability, account eligibility and network reachability are separate. Installing an official app is preparation, not proof that every required function is available.

Are these measurements live results for my journey?

No. They cover September 2026 and the recorded networks, retrieved in October. They do not establish a later result on your particular network or device.

Can one VPN guarantee every listed service?

No. The permitted connection arrangement, network conditions, service policy and account requirements all matter. Keep approved alternatives and investigate the particular task rather than relying on a universal promise.

Disclaimer: VPN regulations vary by country and region and are subject to change. This article does not constitute legal advice. Please review and comply with your local laws before using a VPN.

Sources:

1. GOV.UK — China: Safety and security — https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/safety-and-security
2. OONI — CN Web Connectivity aggregation, September 2026 — https://api.ooni.io/api/v1/aggregation?probe_cc=CN&test_name=web_connectivity&since=2026-09-01&until=2026-10-01&axis_x=input&axis_y=probe_asn
3. OONI — Interpreting OONI data — https://ooni.org/support/interpreting-ooni-data/
4. Slack — Manage Slack connection issues — https://slack.com/help/articles/360001603387-Manage-Slack-connection-issues
5. Microsoft — Teams operated by 21Vianet — https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office365/servicedescriptions/office-365-platform-service-description/teams-operated-by-21vianet
6. MIIT — 工业和信息化部信息通信管理局负责人就《关于清理规范互联网网络接入服务市场的通知》答记者问 — https://www.miit.gov.cn/zwgk/zcjd/art/2020/art_6d942fea3c824343bdd1e01f2d6e12af.html
7. Google — How to change your Google Play country — https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/7431675?hl=en

Sources checked 5 October 2026.

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Related articles:

• Diagnosing mainland-China service failures
• Preparing a phone before the journey
• A checklist for permitted travel connectivity