I don't know if foreign traders have noticed that more and more overseas customers tend to communicate on WhatsApp, and even some customers do not reply to emails for a few days, but they can reply to WhatsApp in seconds.
And a few days ago, WhatsApp has been removed from the Chinese app store of Apple mobile phones, the specific reason is to comply with the relevant regulations... This impact is still very large, which means that Apple phones registered in mainland China will no longer be able to automatically update WhatsApp in the future.
Foreign traders should take precautions and register their own personal Apple ID in the outer region (detailed methods later).
1. A number of foreign software from the Chinese App Store have been removed from the shelves
WhatsApp is an app for smartphones to communicate with iPhones and Androids, and with the help of push notifications, you can instantly receive messages from friends, family and colleagues, while Threads is a social software launched by Mark Zuckerberg to compete directly with X (Twitter).
According to Apple, it has removed the WhatsApp app and its Threads social media app from China's App Store in order to comply with the regulations.
The Wall Street Journal quoted an Apple spokesperson as saying, "We are obligated to comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate, even though we may not fully agree with all aspects of those laws." ”
This reflects the legal environment and challenges faced by multinational companies operating globally, as they must find a balance between complying with local laws and protecting the rights and interests of users.
It is worth noting that China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a notice on August 9 last year, requiring all apps in China to file with the local provincial communications administration.
This policy aims to strengthen the supervision of Internet applications, ensure their compliant operation and protect the rights and interests of users.
For apps that were already online before the notice was issued, such as WhatsApp and Threads, the policy gives a certain transition period, requiring the filing to be completed by the end of March 2024. Applications that fail to complete the filing on time will not be allowed to engage in online messaging services.
Previously, the United States said it was threatening to ban TikTok due to national security concerns.
According to Reuters, the move may have been triggered by the bill, which is intended to force China's ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets to non-Chinese owners.
The difference is that while TikTok, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, is used by millions of people in the United States, apps like WhatsApp and Threads are not commonly used in China, and most of the users who use them are foreign trade salesmen engaged in international trade.
Other Meta apps, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, are still available for download, but tools are still needed to use Google and foreign social media platforms.
So in general, this removal has little impact on users, because foreign trade personnel who really need to use Telegram and WhatsApp should be fully prepared whether it is magic Internet access or foreign area ID. Other users who are not fully prepared will not be able to use it normally even if they can download it.
2. Register your own Apple ID in the outer region
01 Preparation
In order to register a perfect Apple ID in the United States, we need to prepare the following 3 materials in advance.
1. A domestic mobile phone number that can receive text messages, I believe everyone has it. Note that you can use the phone number of your Apple ID in your country, and the two do not conflict.
2. An email address that has never registered an Apple ID, it is recommended to use the English email address of QQ here for easy memory.
3. U.S. address generator (be sure to choose a tax-free state here, don't fill in the address casually, it's hard to change it back in the future)
Note: You must be older than 18 years old to avoid some apps not being able to download.
02 Registration Process
In order to allow every partner to register successfully, here is only the process of registering with a mobile phone.
1. Open the registration page
Start by opening the Safari browser on your phone and visit the registration page for your Apple ID in the United States: https://appleid.apple.com/account.
2. Fill in the information
Follow the prompts on the page to fill in your email address (key), password, name and other information, and select "United States" as the region.
4. Email verification
A verification code will be sent to the email address and phone number you provided, and you will enter the verification code to complete the verification. At this step, even if the registration is successful, the account will be automatically logged in, and the next step is the most critical step.
5. Set up a billing address
It is important to pay special attention to setting up a billing address, because if you don't fill it in, the Apple ID will not be able to download the app in the app store, and it will be meaningless to register an Apple ID in the United States. Let's be more detailed in this step, please follow the process.
First, click on the "small arrow" to the left of "Sign Out", pull up the submenu, and click on "Payment & Shipping".
Then, you'll need to fill in a U.S. address, and be sure to select a tax-free state in the U.S. If you don't select a tax-exempt state, you will incur additional fees for each subsequent digital transaction. The 5 tax-exempt states in the United States are: Montana, Oregon, Alaska, Delaware, and New Hampshire.
Collected 4 US address generators for everyone
1. https://www.shenfendaquan.com/
2. https://www.meiguodizhi.com/
3. http://www.haoweichi.com/
Please note that the advertisements on the webpage are not to be believed, for reference only!
It automatically generates information such as addresses, streets, etc. Then fill in the generated address information into the registration interface.
Remember: the generated address should be saved, and you will need it later!
03 Skip payment methods
The problem is that although we have filled in the billing address in the United States, the Apple ID has not yet set up a payment method, and the APP cannot be installed.
At the same time, we don't have a bank card in the United States, but if you want to download the APP, you must fill in the payment method by default.
Here's the most crucial step: skip the payment method.
Now we open the App Store. Tap your profile picture in the top right corner and pull to the very bottom to sign out of the Apple ID you're currently using. Then log in to the new US ID that we just registered.
Now we need to change 3 settings.
1. In the system settings, change the region to "United States", and the language can be changed without changing it.
2. Sign in to the web client of your Apple ID, https://appleid.apple.com/account, and change the language to US (English)
3. The mobile phone network is adjusted to the IP of the United States (this can only be used in 2024), this step will definitely fail if it is not changed!
At this time, you download the app again, and it will pop up an option to "check".
Click Check and choose to agree to the Apple Store Terms, which will take you to Select a payment method.
If you follow my method and change the above 3 settings, you will see that the payment method will appear with a "none" option.
At this point, we select "None", fill in the billing address, and the Apple ID in the United States is successfully registered.
Precautions
1. It is recommended to only use the US account in the App Store and only use it to download apps to avoid affecting normal life.
2. You can use gift cards to top up your Apple ID in the United States.
3. If you don't see "None" in the payment method, it is a problem with the network environment.
Tengdao Foreign Trade SaaS platform provides accurate contact information, allowing you to easily obtain the detailed information of key decision-makers such as procurement and executives, including email, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social accounts, providing strong support for business development.
Source: Tengdao Foreign Trade SaaS platform