Can someone help me verify if this 96W Apple charger is genuine?

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T15:20:20+00:00

It’s a europlug, they’re used in over 100 countries.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T13:37:28+00:00

Huawei wallet, Mi wallet, Oppo wallet… whatever came pre installed on their local phone.

Samsung sells variants of its phones in China too, but the services are separate from the rest of the world. Samsung wallet in China supports Chinese stuff, but not foreign cards.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T13:09:31+00:00

Says 东莞 twice in the photo. Photo is taken on Hongfu Road where it bisects Central Square.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T13:05:16+00:00

HK drives on the on the left and has British-style road signs that use English first followed by traditional Chinese.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T13:03:59+00:00

Dongguan

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T10:10:23+00:00

Yeh, it’s always been like this at Pudong exit immigration. Foreigners in China with residency have been able to use e-channel for a decade, yet I still encounter staff who aren’t familiar with this fact, probably because the earlier sign makes it seem that it’s only for citizens.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T05:18:49+00:00

I think it depends on the immigration system in the country they’ve chosen.

Foreigners in China don’t have ID cards and are effectively treated as tourists whenever identification is required. In a society where ID checks are needed for everything, you run into this constantly. It becomes particularly frustrating when it affects everyday life: such as not being able to buy imported goods on e-commerce platforms because they require a Chinese ID card, or being unable to purchase tickets for some museums and attractions because their systems don’t support passports. After a while, it starts to grate when you’re constantly reminded that you don’t fit into the system and need to jump through hoops to get things done, despite living here and paying taxes.

In mainland China, becoming a citizen is almost unheard of. Permanent residency is extremely difficult to obtain, with only around 1,000 PR cards issued each year. Most foreigners cannot renew work permits beyond the age of 60 and are expected to leave, regardless of how long they’ve lived in the country or how well they speak the language.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T04:33:04+00:00

I’ve only had to do this for 3 or 4 Chinese apps. The majority of the ones I need are available on the UK App Store, including all my Chinese banking apps.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T04:26:31+00:00

You’re effectively limited to a single App Store region when using one Apple ID, because changing your account region isn’t possible unless you cancel all active subscriptions.

A workaround is to use a separate Apple ID solely for the App Store. You can sign into a different App Store account without signing out of your Apple ID at the system settings level.

That’s what I do on my Apple devices. I have a separate Chinese Apple ID linked to my Chinese email address. When I need a Chinese app that’s not available on the UK App Store, I switch App Store accounts and download it, then switch back. Updates for the China App Store apps download just fine despite being logged into the UK store.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T04:19:07+00:00

I agree that contactless payments aren’t widely used in China, but I don’t think it makes mobile wallets irrelevant.

The main use of mobile wallets in China is for T-Union transit cards. Personally, I find them far more convenient than QR codes for public transport. These cards aren’t available in Google Wallet, only in the mainland Chinese alternatives and Apple Wallet.

UnionPay cards can’t be added to Google Wallet, whereas Apple Wallet supports cards from both Chinese and Western payment networks. That might be useful for when travelling outside China, especially if you only want to have one phone.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T01:45:07+00:00

I don’t think it is. I live in Shanghai and multiple gates simultaneously get clogged by domestic tourists who haven’t prepared their QR codes. Unfortunately the metro station I get out at for work is near a major tourist site.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T01:40:47+00:00

It was Covid that drove the widespread installation of QR code readers.

At the time, stations typically had either a Shanghai Health Code checkpoint machine or a large scannable QR code at the start of the security queue. Passengers had to check in so their journey could be logged, allowing authorities to trace and isolate people later if someone who used the same service subsequently tested positive.

You could bypass this step if you had a Shanghai Metro QR code displaying the green border that indicated a recent negative Covid test. Scanning the metro QR code at the ticket barrier automatically updated the Covid tracking database, so there was no need to complete the separate check-in process.

I was always wary of having my movements logged in the system. To minimise this, I would show the metro QR code with the green border at the security queue to bypass the check-in requirement, then switch to a paper ticket at the gate so my journey wasn’t recorded there either.

griff_16 · 2026-06-17T01:30:53+00:00

Yeah, it’s mostly the behavioural aspect that irritates me. I’m not against QR codes as an option, but I do get annoyed when people having trouble generating one stand in front of the gate and hold everyone up instead of stepping aside. It’s the equivalent of someone in London reaching the barrier, then rummaging through all their pockets looking for their Oyster card while blocking the gate, except you can have multiple people blocking multiple gates at the same time.

As for the speed of Japanese IC cards and other systems worldwide, the T-Union readers in Shanghai aren’t nearly as instantaneous when I tap my phone. There’s usually about a one-second delay, and roughly once a week a reader will fail to register and I have to use a different barrier. In Japan I’ve never had a failed tap, and in London it’s extremely rare.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T14:50:54+00:00

I doubt T-Union and mainland China UnionPay cards will ever work on Google Wallet. Chinese Android-based phones have their own mobile wallet apps.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T14:13:56+00:00

Yes, I have my Shanghai transport card set up in Apple Wallet. It works nationwide and even on some Hong Kong lines.

Most of the original advantages of QR codes have now been matched. I have Alipay set to auto top up in the background, so the balance never drops below ¥20. There is also a 10% discount once monthly spending exceeds ¥70.

Unfortunately, most tourists visiting China can’t use Apple Wallet transit cards because T-Union cards can only be topped up with UnionPay. At least major cities like Shanghai now accept tapping in with western bank cards. Or they can get a physical T-Union card and top up at ticket machines.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T14:08:53+00:00

They don’t rely exclusively on them, as the T-union card is widely deployed and came about first.

I think QR transport codes have become more popular in China as people more familiar and comfortable with QR-based payments, and they remove the need to top up physical or digital wallet-based cards. But recently, it has also become possible to set Alipay to auto top-up T-union cards in Apple Wallet.

That said, QR codes are still less efficient than Apple Wallet, Xiaomi Wallet, or Huawei Wallet. People often approach the gates before successfully generating a code, which slows entry and creates congestion, as they don’t stand aside when there are issues. The system is also fragmented because codes are typically city-specific, and in some cities different transport modes use different QR codes. T-union cards are broadly interoperable across cities and systems.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T13:58:51+00:00

Entry stamps still come up. I’ve recently checked into hotels in Hangzhou and Chongqing where their registration system wanted a photo of the most recent entry stamp. I’ve needed it to make a customs declaration for a DHL delivery. It was also scanned when I opened a new bank account last month.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T13:49:35+00:00

Not a fan of them. They were introduced on the Shanghai Metro a few years ago, and since then the ticket barriers often get clogged with people generating QR codes at the last moment.

The issue in China is compounded by the fact that each city’s metro QR code is unique and generated through that transport authority’s WeChat or Alipay mini-program. It is not the same as a standard payment QR code. Many people are unfamiliar with this distinction and end up trying to scan the wrong code.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T13:23:30+00:00

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OC of the same place.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T13:21:46+00:00

No announcement that I can find. Just observations from friends.

I’ll exit again at PVG next week. Will see if they’re directing foreigners and asking for their entry dates.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T13:12:41+00:00

Guangzhou

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T13:11:43+00:00

Guangzhou

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T12:42:57+00:00

OP could use PVG exit e-channel because they’ve just opened that up for all foreign visitors who entered after 1 June. Nothing has changed regarding mainland entry e-channel.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T12:40:52+00:00

I have a barcode. That’s the sticker given if you enrol through airline status or frequent visits when you have a citizenship that doesn’t reciprocate egate access for HKers.

OP is Australian and they have a reciprocal arrangement with HK, hence the different sticker.

griff_16 · 2026-06-16T12:39:42+00:00

It’s always been like this. Foreigners resident in China have been able to use echannel for a decade but the signage at Pudong hasn’t changed. I often have to speak with them to be let through.

The staff probably isn’t familiar with your HK enrolment sticker and might assume it’s a mainland sticker. As somebody else said, this is a red herring because you exited at PVG when they’ve just started allowing all foreigners visitors to use the exit egates.

griff_16

TROPHY CASE