Does Spotify work in China?
Logged in: it played.
Signing in from the mainland showed “not available in your country.” 23 August 2026 — not a guarantee.
Mainland China is not on Spotify's official sign-up list. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are. Log in and download before you fly.
Logged in: it played · signing in from the mainland did not · log in and download before you fly.
Official sign-up list
On the official list
- Hong KongListed as a supported market on Spotify’s availability page.
- MacaoListed as Macao on the same official page.
- TaiwanListed as a supported market. Do not treat Taiwan as mainland China.
Not on the official list
- Mainland ChinaNot listed as a place you can sign up. That is the current market list, not a history of launch, and not a network-block table.
Sources for these seasonal picks
Official market list: Where is Spotify available? — official market list (mainland China not listed)
Before you fly
Stay logged in. Open the playlist → turn Download on (Premium) → wait until it finishes, on Wi-Fi, before you fly. Spotify Help: the device must go online at least once every 30 days or downloaded tracks stop playing. After a reinstall, you have to download again.
In our 23 August 2026 check, a logged-in account could stream; signing in again from that mainland connection showed “not available in your country.” One check, not a guarantee. We did not re-test a new phone, a password reset, or a reinstall.
Spotify does not document a workaround. In the same check, sign-up and login needed a connection that was not the mainland home network. Some travelers use a VPN for that. We did not test a VPN product. Not a guarantee, and not legal advice. Test before you fly.
Compare VPNs for China
The same recording started with iOS Settings: VPN Not Connected. Email and saved-password prompts were removed from the login screenshot. Album artwork is the app as it appeared, not a licensed still. One session, not a guarantee.
What travelers get wrong
Getting logged out mid-trip
Logged-in playback is not the same as being able to sign in again. In our 23 August 2026 check, login from a mainland connection showed “not available in your country.”
Workaround: Stay logged in from before you land, and keep Premium downloads as the fallback that needs no new login. One check, not a guarantee.
Our check · 23 Aug 2026
Opening QQ Music or NetEase for your Spotify library
They are separate catalogs. They will not open your liked songs, playlists, or Premium downloads.
Frequently asked questions
Is Spotify banned in China, or just unavailable?
Mainland China is not on Spotify's official sign-up list. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are. The list does not say the service is banned, and it does not say whether a separate network block also exists. In our 23 August 2026 check a logged-in account streamed on mainland home broadband with VPN off; signing in from the mainland showed “not available in your country.” One check, not a guarantee.
Can I still play my downloaded playlists?
Yes, if the files are already on the device. Spotify Help: Premium downloads need the device online at least once every 30 days. Download before you fly.
How long do offline downloads keep working?
Spotify Help: go online at least once every 30 days, or downloaded music stops playing. After a reinstall, you must download again. We did not test the 30-day refresh in China. In our 23 August 2026 check a logged-in app still reached Spotify once — that does not prove the refresh will run on its own.
I already pay for Spotify Premium — should I pause it while in China?
No. Spotify Help: if you cancel, the account switches to Free at the next billing date. You keep playlists and saved music, and you can still log in and play with ads. What you lose is Premium offline downloads. We did not test a Free account in mainland China.
Do I need a VPN to use Spotify in China?
For streaming on an already-logged-in account: not in our 23 August 2026 check — music played with VPN showing Not Connected. For signing up or logging in: that same check showed “not available in your country.” One check is not a guarantee. Treat a VPN as a backup you test at home, not as something we proved on the ground.
Which countries block Spotify?
Spotify publishes a list of where you can sign up, not a block list. Mainland China is not on that list. Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are.
What music apps do people in China use instead?
QQ Music and NetEase Cloud Music are separate catalogs. They will not open your Spotify library.
Keep exploring YouChina Wiki
Sources
Sources for this page's claims
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