No matter what you search — "Binance," "bian," or any variation — the Binance APP just won't show up in your phone's app store. It's not that you're searching wrong — the app stores genuinely don't have it anymore. The good news is you can get it through official channels: first register Binance for an account, then download Binance APP through the dedicated channel and install it on your phone.
Why Isn't Binance in the App Stores?
Chinese Android App Stores
Huawei AppGallery, Xiaomi App Store, OPPO Software Store, vivo App Store, Tencent MyApp, and other major Chinese Android app stores all removed Binance and other cryptocurrency trading apps around 2021. This was in response to tightened regulations on cryptocurrency trading platforms, and app stores complied with the delisting requirements.
So no matter how you search, you won't find Binance in these stores. This isn't a temporary situation, and re-listing is unlikely in the near future.
Apple App Store
Apple's China region App Store also removed the Binance APP. However, Binance is available on the App Store in other countries and regions, including the US, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, and more. If your Apple ID is registered to mainland China, you simply won't see it in search results.
Google Play Store
The Binance APP is available on Google Play and can be downloaded in most regions worldwide. However, the issue is that most Android phones sold in China don't come with Google Play pre-installed, making this channel inaccessible for most Chinese users.
What Should Android Users Do?
Since app stores don't have it, Android users need to obtain the Binance APP through other means. The most direct method is downloading the APK installation package from the Binance website.
An APK is an Android application installation file — think of it as the equivalent of an .exe installer on Windows. Visit the Binance website through your browser, select the Android version on the download page, and you'll get the APK file.
After downloading, open the APK file and the system will prompt you to enable "Install from unknown sources" permission. This is because the app isn't being installed from your phone's built-in app store, and Android blocks this by default for security. Once you enable the permission, installation proceeds normally.
Here's a quick summary of the steps:
- Open the Binance website in your phone's browser
- Download the Android APK installation package
- Open the downloaded file
- Follow the prompts to enable installation permission
- Wait for installation to complete
What Should iPhone Users Do?
iPhone users need a non-mainland-China Apple ID to download Binance from the App Store.
The simplest approach is to register an overseas Apple ID yourself. Go to the Apple website, create a new account, select the US or Hong Kong as your country, use a new email address, and choose "None" for payment method. After registration, sign out of your current account in the App Store on your phone, sign in with the overseas account, and you'll be able to search for and download Binance.
After downloading, remember to switch back to your original Apple ID to avoid disrupting iCloud sync and other app usage.
If you don't want to register an overseas Apple ID, you can also use Binance's web version in the Safari browser. While not as convenient as the native app, all the essential features work.
Watch Out for Fake "Binance" Apps
One situation requires special caution: some smaller app stores or third-party download sites may actually show a so-called "Binance APP," but these are very likely counterfeit.
How to identify fake apps:
- Wrong developer name: The official app developer is "Binance Inc." — anything else is fake
- Abnormally low download count: The official app has tens of millions of downloads
- Few or fake reviews: Fake apps either have no user reviews or obviously bot-generated content
- Unusual file size: The official installation package is around 80-120MB — fakes might be only a few MB or dozens of MB
- Missing features: Fake apps might only have a login page designed to steal your credentials
If you download and install a fake app and log in with your account, your password will be stolen. Always obtain it from a trusted channel.
Will It Ever Return to App Stores?
For the foreseeable future, it's unlikely that Chinese app stores will re-list Binance. Cryptocurrency industry regulations are still evolving, and unless there's a major policy shift, app stores won't risk compliance issues by re-listing these apps.
But this doesn't affect normal usage. The app obtained via APK download from the website (Android) or overseas App Store (iPhone) is identical to what was previously available in app stores — there are no functional differences whatsoever.
FAQ
Q: Has Binance been banned? Is that why it's not in the store?
A: Binance hasn't been banned — it's simply no longer available in Chinese app stores. Binance remains one of the largest cryptocurrency exchanges globally and continues to operate normally. Users in China can use all features after downloading through alternative channels.
Q: Can I still use the Binance I previously installed from the app store?
A: Already-installed apps are unaffected and continue to work normally. However, you may not be able to auto-update through the app store — you'll need to manually download new versions from the website and install over the existing one.
Q: Are other crypto apps also missing from the stores?
A: Yes — not just Binance, but OKX, Bybit, and other major cryptocurrency exchange apps are also absent from Chinese app stores for the same reason. The download process is similar — each platform provides downloads from their respective official websites.