The app and app store landscape in China is very different to the rest of the world. 

iOS apps

In order to make your app available in mainland China you need to follow the requirements Apple outlines under ‘Availability in China mainland', in their docs. They also include links to read the relevant policies directly on the Chinese government’s web pages. The parts that might be most relevant to publishers are:

• China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) requires that some apps possess a valid Internet Content Provider (ICP) Filing Number
• Apps with books and magazine content must secure an internet publishing permit from China’s National Press and Publication Administration (NPPA)
• Apps with news content must obtain an Internet News Information Permit from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC)

The Pugpig team won't be able to help you with the above steps. While Apple previously wasn't stringent about checking if the policies were being met, they started enforcing checks last year. 

Your options with Pugpig:

• You can add support for a Chinese locale within your app - see our guide to app localisation
• You can submit your iOS app to the App Store as long as you follow the policies laid out by Apple (and the relevant Chinese government documentation they link to) above

Android apps

In China Android apps are not distributed via the Google Play store (which is banned in China, along with all other Google services), but via a host of other stores. 

In 2023 the Chinese government brought in rules requiring all app providers to register their business details. This means you need a formal Chinese business presence/entity, or to work with a local distributor. The process for registering is outlined here. We were unable to find any official documentation outlining this but according to third parties the process of having an app approved involves submitting a user guide and some sample source code. Pugpig is not able to provide access to our source code, therefore this route may not be possible depending on what exactly the regulation asks for.

Apps submitted to the Chinese app stores must not include any services or software from companies that are banned in China. This means that the APK submitted to Chinese stores can't include any Google services. 

By default a Bolt Android app does include Google services and SDKs, so we have made a platform change that allows us to produce APKs without this material. By removing Google services this means that as well as in-app purchase, the app will not support push notifications, Google ads or Firebase/GA analytics. Other third parties could be used at your discretion - we are unable to advise on what is acceptable. 

Note that this would not involve any explicit support for the Chinese app stores, such as the ability to offer in-app purchase. Content in the app would need to be either free or accessed via a direct subscription.

Some users in China may also access the app from Google Play via a VPN.

Your options with Pugpig:

• You can add support for a Chinese locale within your app - see our guide to app localisation
• Your Pugpig support engineer will be able to provide an additional APK for submission in China, that does not include any Google services
• NOTE: The Pugpig team will not be able to carry out any non-Google Play submissions on your behalf
• You also have the option of distributing an APK yourself, outside of any app store. For instance hosting it on your website. This could potentially avoid some of the regulatory hoops, however double check which policies still apply

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