AMAP

This app is the only English map that works in China on Android. Unfortunately it requires a Chinese phone number to use and loses many functions in English. Binding Wechat, Alipay, and Taobao can't bypass this login requirement. It's reasonably straightforward to get a SIM card linked to your visa before you even arrive, but not worth the hassle for shorter trips. I wish it just kept the same interface and search settings as the Chinese versions and didn't require a local phone number to login.

The app needs some improvement for user outside China. I can't register the account using my phone since the app can only recognize China's moble phone number. Also, when setting the street address for navigation, thr app doesn't really recognize the street name and city. I tried several times and find it better to use shop, company, or tourist attraction nearby for finding my destination. But the navigation is pretty good after correctly setting everything.

2 stars for being better than nothing in China and sometimes working. But: terribly unreliable. Arrow never points in right direction. Often can't find an address and gives you seemingly random places to choose from. Sometimes suggests bus routes that don't exist. Worst fail: sent me on a 2 hour journey from a railway station to my hotel including walk along a highway and sending me through a prohibited area (a guard stopped me). The way back took 35 mins.