Keep Google, Instagram, YouTube and ChatGPT working after you move back to China

The short version: do everything before you fly. Once you land, Google Play, the US App Store and most download pages may be unreachable, and finding a tool from inside China is painful. Work through this list before departure; it takes about ten minutes.

What stops working after arrival

  • Google: Search, Gmail, Drive, Docs, Maps, YouTube
  • Social: Instagram, Facebook, X, Threads, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord
  • AI tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, plus command-line tools like Claude Code and Codex
  • Research and dev: Google Scholar, many journal databases, GitHub is flaky, npm / pip mirrors are slow
  • Streaming: Netflix, Spotify, Disney+ need an overseas route

Before you leave

1. Sign up and install Stellar

Download the client for every device from the downloads page: phone, laptop, tablet. iPhone users should install the App Store build with an overseas Apple ID before leaving; the US store may not be reachable later.

One account can be online on one device per platform at the same time, for example an iPhone plus a MacBook.

2. Log in and connect once

Log in right after installing and connect once until the status shows connected. On macOS the first connection asks you to approve the helper; see macOS permissions.

3. Use smart mode

Smart mode routes only international sites through Stellar and leaves Chinese sites direct, so WeChat, Taobao and banking apps are unaffected. Global mode sends everything through the overseas route and is useful when a site complains about your region. Details in modes.

4. Keep your login somewhere safe

Store your Stellar email and password in a password manager. If you change phones after arriving, logging in is all you need to reconnect.

5. Renew before departure

Buy your plan before you leave. WeChat Pay and Alipay work from China, but paying with an overseas card beforehand is simpler.

After arrival

  • Open Stellar, tap connect, change nothing else.
  • If a site does not load, switch line once, then switch mode once.
  • Campus and office networks sometimes restrict traffic; testing on a phone hotspot tells you whether it is the network or the client.
  • See troubleshooting or contact support from the site.

FAQ

Can I download the client after arriving? The download page is not reliably reachable from China, so install before departure.

Do I need separate purchases for phone and laptop? No, one account covers every platform.

Will it affect Chinese apps? Not in smart mode; domestic traffic never goes through Stellar.

Does it need to stay on? No, turn it on when you need international sites. Many people enable start-on-boot for convenience.

Ready? Download Stellar and keep Google, Instagram and Claude after you land.

The shell snippets, proxy configs and install script from these guides live on GitHub: stellarlove/stellar-vpn-guides.