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Access Google Play from anywhere
Google Play is completely blocked in China and restricted in several other countries. Even where the Play Store works, region locks keep millions of apps out of reach. Lantern gives you full access.
How to access Google Play with Lantern
Step 1: Get Lantern
Download Lantern on your phone or computer. It's free.
Step 2: Open and Connect
Open Lantern and tap to connect. Lantern automatically picks the best protocol for your network, so there's nothing to configure.
Step 3: Enjoy Google Play
Launch the Play Store, browse, and download. Region-locked apps become available.
Where is Google Play blocked or restricted?
Google Play faces two distinct problems. In some countries, the entire Play Store is blocked. In others, the store itself works but specific apps are hidden or unavailable based on your location.
Countries where Google Play is fully blocked:
- China (all Google services blocked1, including the Play Store. Android phones sold in China ship without it.)
- North Korea (no public internet access)
- Iran (Google services heavily restricted)
- Turkmenistan (Google services frequently inaccessible)
Region-locking affects everyone else. Even in countries where Google Play works fine, developers and licensing agreements restrict which apps are available in which regions. You might see "This item isn't available in your country"2 when trying to download a specific app, game, or piece of content.
This hits hardest in countries with smaller app markets, where popular apps, games, streaming services, and financial tools simply aren't published for your region.
China's unique situation
China is the world's largest Android market, but Google Play doesn't exist there. Instead, Chinese Android phones ship with manufacturer-specific app stores from Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and others. There's no single alternative. There are dozens.
For the 1.4 billion people using Android in China, accessing Google Play means accessing apps, updates, and services that don't exist on local stores. It also means getting apps directly from their developers instead of through third-party stores that may bundle modified versions.
If you're traveling to or living in China and depend on Google Play for your apps, you'll need a VPN that actually works against the Great Firewall.
Why most VPNs can't help
In countries where Google Play is fully blocked, basic VPNs usually get detected and shut down quickly. Region-locking is a different problem: you need a VPN that reliably connects to the right location without leaking your real IP3, or the Play Store still hides the apps you're looking for.
Lantern handles both. It rotates through multiple circumvention protocols automatically, so blocked connections recover on their own. And it only routes your Play Store traffic through the VPN while everything else stays on your local network, keeping things fast.
Nonprofit, open source, no logs
Lantern is a nonprofit VPN built by a 501(c)(3), trusted by over 250 million people. Open source, independently audited, no-logs policy.
Every Pro subscription helps fund free access for people in the most restricted regions.