How to Watch YouTube in China on Android?

Can’t Watch YouTube in China?

If you are living in, traveling or moving to China, you have to figure out how to access leisure time entertainment as millions of foreign websites, google services are blocked by Chinese government. You can’t use your favorite websites and services easily like the way you did in your own country. YouTube is one of the blocked services. Users are deprived from watching all the great videos that YouTube provides, including the one embedded in other websites. You need to do something to access YouTube in China.

Do You Need YouTube in China?

There are lots of video-sharing platforms in China. Youku, Aiqiyi, 360 kan and Tencent video etc. are very popular among Chinese users. Do they still want YouTube? Yes, both Chinese and foreign users want YouTube though it has been blocked by the Great Firewall of China.

YouTube is one of the top video streaming platforms in the world. A large library of videos on various categories is presented there. Now, it has been the second largest video search engine in the world. Most of the videos are created by amateurs that can’t be viewed by users in China. You can edit facility to create a movie with music and other features. It is a great platform that some professional film makers use to share their work. If you like, you also can share your own videos with the world.

On this platform, you catch up with programmes you’ve missed via ‘channels’ like 4oD, Channel 4’s playback channel and watch a full-length feature film on your computer, commenting and rating the video you have watched. If you have a video which is too big to send to your friends by email, simply post the vide on YouTube and send the url link of video to your friends. Once you share the link, your friend can watch it immediately. The video address is always valid. Videos can be viewed anytime. Every minute of every day, more than 35 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube. Millions of users visit YouTube daily for their required videos, movies, songs, documentaries, TV serials etc. No one deserves to be blocked from this wonderful service. Use a reliable VPN to unblock YouTube from Mainland China.

Why is YouTube Blocked in China?

It is well-known that the Internet censorship in China is pretty high. The Great Firewall of China is the most powerful one just like its another name, the golden shield. You can’t access the famous western website. If you are a YouTube fans, you may find that it is hard to look for funny videos on it in China. Why would the Chinese government block this website? In fact, YouTube is not the only service that is blocked.

Back then, there were disputes between Chinese authority and some foreign websites. Some statement and videos spread widely on the Internet had caused riots among Chinese users and brought big trouble to the government. Before that, a developing country had been destroyed by uncontrolled rumors on the Internet. Thereby, Google, YouTube, Instagram and more platforms have been considered as harmful to the Chinese people, thus being blocked.
The government claims they do it for the security of their Internet network so to keep all the hackers and spammer away from their Internet world. They are afraid that those services will corrupt their people’s thought, trying to conserve and preserve their very own cultural values and language. In fact, the firewall works on blocking VPN connections and even blocking access to VPN websites as well. Once the VPN are blocked, you can’t download it, let alone install it to use. The Chinese government uses highly advanced and sophisticated security barrier. You still can’t unblock YouTube in China if you use VPN of low quality.

Free VPNs or Paid VPNs?

You may get confused as there are numberless VPN in the market. Some of them are expensive. Some of them are cheap. Some of them even are free. So, should you grab paid or free one? Does that mean, the more expensive, the better? Security experts suggest paid VPN. A VPN is cheap, but it doesn’t mean that it is not good. Actually, free VPNs commonly are lacking in terms of speed and quality. You may want it to stream video, but the free one may slow down your speed badly. Your access to a few website is still cut, or you will have difficulties in watching some videos. Some are not able to overcome the Great Firewall of China and other restrictions. Besides, some companies provide free VPN to collect and sell related information to the third party for revenue. Free VPNs are not suggested for conducting activities involving with credit card or personal account & password.

The paid VPNs are equipped with advanced technology. Most of them are developed with the highest encryption standard and latest protocols. 256-bit encryption is considered as the strongest available on the VPN market today which is the same standard that government and bank institutions use for security protection. You can escape from ISP throttling and get amazing speed for loading videos. OpenVPN is the best protocol for encryption so far. They provide wide VPN servers and locations that are needed to play video smoothly. The paid ones are powerful enough to bypass the Internet censorship easily, allowing you to enjoy your favorite videos on YouTube from mainland China.

How VPN Helps in Unblocking YouTube from China?

The Great Firewall of China is very strong, monitoring and censoring users’ online activities. Behind the Golden Shield Project, there are thousands of staff members. The firewall has been updated constantly to prevent as many users as possible from using the blocked services. How a VPN helps in bypassing such powerful program? Before that, you should how firewall works. A huge number of domains and key word related to targeted services are added on the list. When you try to visit one of those websites, it disconnects and redirects you to an error page once it gets to know that you are sending the request from mainland China. No matter you are a Chinese or foreigner, your activities will be censorship. The firewall does not interfere with your connections if you are not using the banned sites or living in China. If you are not in China or using the banned services, connections are fine. However, you don’t have to leave China or give up your favorite websites when having a VPN.

A VPN creates a tunnel between your device and VPN server. All your Internet connection and the Internet data transfer are getting through this encrypted tunnel. The ISPs and firewall are able to view your activities. They only see encrypted connections without knowing who raise the request and request destination. Your connections can’t be intercepted by government, so they don’t know you are visiting the banned websites.
Likewise, VPNs offer shared and dedicated IP addresses from different regions and countries. You can choose any one of them to replace your original one. The IP address you choose shouldn’t belong to mainland China or any other country where YouTube is blocked. For instance, you need an IP of any location near to China like Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan etc. to unblock YouTube in China.

In this way, the firewall does not know that you are accessing the websites on its list and you are actually living in mainland China as your IP address is no mare a China-based one and the Chinese security shield can only block all Chinese IP address to connect to foreign contents. You get 100 % anonymity and security while accessing YouTube from China.

How to Pick a Correct VPN to Work in China?

In order to make sure that you spend money on the right VPN, you need to consider several aspects. Here are the features that a great VPN should have.
1. Dedicated and optimized for China
2. Many strong and stable servers near China e.g Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan etc. or Western Coast city of United States, including San Francisco, Los Angeles etc.
3. High-end encryption level
4. No log keeping policy
5. Support all VPN Protocol like OpenVPN, L2TP/IPSec, PPTP, SSTP
6. Must provide SSTP as it the most important and secure protocol in China which let you enjoy uninterrupted access to all the blocked content in China
7. Dynamic shared IP Addresses

Why do you need an optimized VPN for China? As we mentioned above, the Great Firewall blocks YouTube as well as VPNs. If they are not powerful enough or are lack of important features, they will be blocked soon. Some VPNs even can’t defeat the firewall originally. Do not waste money on a VPN that does not help at all.
The VPN servers also are very important to connections to YouTube. When you select severs that are geographically close to your location, it takes less time to reroute connection. Websites and videos are loaded at blazing-fast speed. You even don’t notice the buffer. If you choose a far server, your connection speed will be poor and the video get stuck now and then. You barely can enjoy the wonder content.

The high-end encryption ensures that you will not be tracked by others. If the encryption is not high enough, others can decrypt it easily though your connection to VPN server is encrypted. The cyber criminals can hack advanced company and steal lot of bitcoins though the system is excellent. The government also can decode your content easily as the encryption is poor. Once the government and ISPs know you are located in China and visiting YouTube, they will surely block your connection. You will no longer be able to access YouTube in China.

When Should You Purchase a VPN?

You may wonder when it is the right time to purchase a VPN. Some of you would like to get a VPN before going to China. Some of you may prefer to buy VPN after they go to China. You think that it will save money as you will have to spend some time on the way and on settling down there. VPN is not needed during this time.

However, we suggest you get VPN before going to China. On one hand, you have plenty of time to pick the best VPN. If you grab one VPN in a rush, you rarely can get the suitable one. In fact, a VPN not only helps you bypass the Great Firewall of China, but also protects your privacy. You know what. The ISPs are allowed to sell your browsing histories, habits and many more data to the third parties without your permission. They invade your privacy while it is not illegal. Isn’t it terrible? Therefore, you can benefit from it no matter where you are. It keeps your privacy safe and also protects you from malicious attack when using public WiFi hotspot at airport and hotel.

On the other hand, purchasing VPN beforehand ensures VPN is able to work for you. You should note that some VPN websites are blocked in China. You are not allowed to download app from Google app store. Though they are able to bypass the firewall, they can’t work for you before you purchase one and install the software. Don’t you want Facebook to contact home after you arrive in China? It is definitely right to get everything ready before the travel. Pick the proper VPN, download software and set it up on your device. YouTube will accompany you in China.

Guide to Set Up VPN on Android

1. Unblock the device screen. Tap the Settings icon and select “More” under Wireless & Networks.

2. Select the VPN option on the Wireless & Networks screen.

3. Tap the “+” button and enter the VPN’s details. Give a name to help you remember which VPN is which into the Name field. Then, select the type of VPN server you’re connecting to, and enter the VPN server’s address.

4. Tap the VPN to connect once you finish the setup. You are allowed to choose from the multiple VPN servers configured and switch between them from the VPN screen.

It requires your VPN username and password to login when you connect. If you think it’s inconvenient to enter detail every time, you can save this account information for next time. While connected to a VPN, you will see a persistent “VPN activated” notification in your notifications drawer. To disconnect, tap the notification and tap Disconnect. In this way, you can watch video in China on Android freely.

Learn more in this short video:

Best VPNs for China or Other Prohibited Countries

Detail of Some VPNs

ExpressVPN:

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PureVPN:

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NordVPN:

NordVPN has a strict zero log policy and uses two security protocols: OpenVPN with 2048-bit SSL encryption and the 3072-bit IKEv2/IPsec that is currently the most secure protocol available in the market. Additional security features, such as DNS leak protection and double data encryption, are also available. Its IP addresses and wide VPN servers enable you to avoid government censorship and geo-restriction. What’s more, the NordVPN service is based in Panama, which has no data retention laws, meaning that none of your data is recorded, stored or passed to anyone.

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Conclusion

China is a tough and strict Internet region. Almost all of the famous western services are the foreign websites and content are blocked. As they are hit service, the Chinese users would like to follow the trend to be fashion and view content their idols posted on YouTube though the platform is blocked by the government. Others users from different countries would like to keep using their old video stream services to get their favorite video easily and social media platforms to keep in touch with friends and family at home. Hence, VPNs are very popular in China. With a reliable VPN, you can access all the streaming channels and other blocked foreign websites like YouTube easily. At the same time, your Internet is protected which means all your online activities are encrypted. You can download files anonymously via torrents freely. VPN keep you safe from hackers, spammers, and other snoopers. Will you breach laws of China for using VPN there? As far as we know, using VPN is not illegal in China. They can’t completely block YouTube and other services as users from other countries go to China for business and study. Just enjoy YouTube video with VPN without any concern.

Submitted by Josh M. Grove February 27, 2018