For popular map apps such as Google Maps or Apple Maps on iOS, the user’s own location will be correct. We booked a hotel in a good location in Guangzhou and saved coordinates and routes to Google Maps. Google and Apple Maps in China have severe misalignment between their street maps and satellite imagery (live example) Various sources make contradictory claims: If you Google “China map offset” it will return hundreds of message board posts with people attempting to counter the problem. Have your ever searched google maps china offset? This is because licensed companies that register with the government will be given the corrected algorithm to adjust the user’s position. All my kml traces are offset by ~100-200 meters west and ~50 meters north (on the backend and frontend). In some cases, local laws dictate how Google and others must represent maps to avoid censure, as is the case in China or Russia, according to people familiar with the matter. I'm in China. The same kml shown in Google Earth is perfectly aligned with the road we took. Google Maps currently displays the satellite image tiles using the same GPS standard as the rest of the world, but the map data for China is in a different standard, hence the two do not match. Here is my story behind this question. A few map apps have been made that display the properly aligned maps, but it’s not too helpful for developers to integrate. Hi. If you already installed a VPN on your mobile phone, then you will be able to access Google's services and use Google Maps in China. In most trips I've done, Google maps on my phone seems to work great, but last year this offset appeared when I arrived in Shanghai, even though it had worked fine the day before in Beijing. I didn't use it for a while, but when I used a running app last time, with map based on google, it was completely off. Most people who was in China yes. ... but don’t match the maps because the maps are offset (controlled by China). 15th August 2018, 04:56 PM But when we arrived at a destination, it was obvious that there are no hotels. I remember my first visit to China in 2010. I didn't use it for a while, but when I used a running app last time, with map based on google, it was completely off. To make a long story short, when used in China, Apple’s maps are subject to “a varying offset [of] 100-600m which makes annotations display incorrectly on the map.” Hello, I’m cycling now in China. I want to use the Open Street Map Android app to grab Lat and Long point data and then drop that data into a Google Fusion table. Be aware that, due to China's intentional offset, you will see a discrepancy between the street map, GPS position, and satellite imagery in China, so don't rely on the positions shown on satellite imagery. GPS coordinates (WGS-84) plot poorly on Chinese maps, with an offset ranging from 50 to 1000 meters. China,major chinese cities,Beijing,Shanghai, Hong Kong,Taipei,Guangzhou,Nanjing, Chongping,Tianjin,Wuhan,Macau JP: doesn't have google maps an offset to the real position in China??