# Lost Laowai — Bilingual Map App for China > Bilingual navigation app for China, translating Chinese maps and transit into English. (iPhone/iPad app by Jason Stine.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lost-laowai/id1438350813 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Jason Stine](https://appshunter.io/developer/1438350812) - Category: Navigation, Travel - Price: Free - Rating: 4.00/5 from 7 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 10.0 · 40 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2018-10-16 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lost-laowai/id1438350813/reviews.md ## What is Lost Laowai? Need a reliable up-to-date map app for China that shows everything in English/Pinyin/Chinese and can get you anywhere you need to go? Want to ride buses in China but can't read Chinese? Lost Laowai may be just for you! Get directions for taking buses, trains, subways, and walking - travel around China with confidence! Lost Laowai brings China's most popular map app used among Chinese people - known as AMap/AutoNavi/高德地图 - to people who have difficulties reading Chinese! * Search in English, Pinyin, or Chinese as well as view all place names in these 3 forms. * Get bilingual public transportation and walking directions to any place in China. * Discover restaurants, entertainment venues, business destinations, and other places useful for foreigners in China. * Search for English/Pinyin-only addresses. * Favorite locations and set Home/Work locations for getting directions quickly to places you go to often. * View China’s most up-to-date map and satellite imagery. For more information, visit our website: http://lostlaowai.wixsite.com/home We are now seeking investment and collaboration opportunities to expand the app’s reach in China as well as apply the concept to other languages and countries. Find your way in China – Download Lost Laowai today! ## Key features - Bilingual map and place names (English, Pinyin, Chinese) - Public transportation and walking directions - Search in English, Pinyin, or Chinese - Discover points of interest - Save favorite and Home/Work locations - Up-to-date map and satellite imagery ## Recent user reviews (5 of 5) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lost-laowai/id1438350813/reviews.md ### 2/5 — Not many listings. Apple Maps is better. *2020-06-22* Using Apple Maps is much easier. It is also bilingual and you can put in the name of any venue and it comes up with public transit routes. This app has hardly any listings, many of the venues aren’t even open for business anymore. The navigation of the UI is outdated. You have to keep clicking ‘back’. ### 5/5 — The only decent English Chinese map app *2020-03-04* The only decent English Chinese map app ### 1/5 — Can not copy and get info, and text shrinks with zoom *2019-04-24* Here are some major flaws: 1. You can not get any info on a building, address, store, location ect. 2. Add you get no info, you can also not copy any building name or such, what would be helpful for DiDi as one example 3. The more you zoom in, three more the words and subplots shrink. Making it impossible to read the Chinese characters Not useful this app ### 5/5 — Fantastic Multi-Lingual App in China! *2019-02-01* This app does most of the translating for you so you never need to switch between you translator and your default mapping application to figure out what names mean. If you are looking for something in particular, such as a restaurant, metro or bus station, this will conveniently show you in both English and Chinese. This is a must have tool when visiting China (or even if you are a foreigner like me, just having this for daily use has many benefits). ### 1/5 — Does not work *2018-12-08* Doesn’t work well. Difficult to find how to use. Pinpoint jumps all over the immediate area as do other China apps. ## Frequently asked questions about Lost Laowai ### What is Lost Laowai? Lost Laowai is a bilingual map application designed to help foreigners navigate China. It translates Chinese maps and transit information into English, Pinyin, and Chinese characters. ### Does Lost Laowai have ads? No, Lost Laowai is ad-free, providing an uninterrupted navigation experience for its users. ### What devices does Lost Laowai support? Lost Laowai is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. ### How often is Lost Laowai updated? The app was last updated on March 27, 2019, with version 1.1. Further updates will depend on developer activity. ### What is the age rating for Lost Laowai? Lost Laowai has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide range of users. ### Can I search for places in English with Lost Laowai? Yes, Lost Laowai allows you to search for places using English, Pinyin, or Chinese, and view place names in all three forms. ### Does Lost Laowai offer offline maps? The provided description does not specify offline map capabilities. It relies on up-to-date map and satellite imagery, suggesting an online connection is needed. ### What are the main benefits of using Lost Laowai for China travel? Lost Laowai simplifies travel in China by providing bilingual directions for buses, trains, subways, and walking, and allows searching and viewing place names in English, Pinyin, and Chinese. ## Version history (last 2 releases) ### 1.1 — 2019-03-27 * The compass is now working! See which direction you're facing so you know which way to walk! * Removed a pesky Chinese-only language prompt that appears the first time you run the app. * Added a "safe view wrapper" to the app's screen so that it displays correctly no matter what phone model you're using. (The screen perimeters of some Apple devices are not perfectly rectangular, such as the new iPhone XR where the top notification info bar is divided into two parts by the front camera and mic.) * General overall speed increase. ### 1.0.0 — 2018-10-15 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Lost Laowai | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Beijing Subway - MTRC map](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beijing-subway-mtrc-map/id482557727) | 4.7 (278) | Free | Navigation | | [Guangzhou Metro Route planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/guangzhou-metro-route-planner/id482552308) | 4.7 (55) | Free | Navigation | | [MetroMan Chengdu](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metroman-chengdu/id1529835469) | 5.0 (13) | Free | Navigation | | [MetroMan Guangzhou](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/metroman-guangzhou/id435919851) | 4.8 (655) | Free | Navigation | | [Shanghai Interactive Metro Map](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shanghai-interactive-metro-map/id482553846) | 4.5 (65) | Free | Navigation | ## More apps by Jason Stine - [LingoMap](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lingomap/id1592622342) All apps by Jason Stine: https://appshunter.io/developer/1438350812 --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*