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Payment 13 of 62 known sticking points

You can't read the Chinese interface

If the app flips to Chinese, switch it back to English in two taps. Paths for both apps.

All Chinese !

It is a settings flip, not a failure.

What you'll see

If your app suddenly shows Chinese, the language setting changed — easy to flip back:

"界面变成中文" · "Can't find English"
界面变成中文 / 找不到英文
Error-text level: L3 (symptom only). This is a settings change, not an error code.

Why it happens

The app sometimes defaults to the phone's locale or a tap in the wrong menu switches it to Chinese. Both apps have an English toggle.

Fastest fix, free: WeChat: Me → Settings → General → Language → English. Alipay: Me → Settings (gear) → General → Language → English.
Last verified: 2026-09-20 · Confidence: Multiple sources (pending first-hand verification)
The full fix sequence (free)
  1. WeChat: Me → Settings → General → Language → English
  2. Alipay: Me → Settings (gear icon) → General → Language → English

When the fast fix isn't enough

In the kit

If the toggle is missing or greyed out, the kit explains the workaround.

1. The missing-toggle fix

Why some accounts hide English and how to bring it back.

2. The trigger matrix

Which app versions hide the toggle vs. which show it.

3. Offline printable version

Both paths as a printable card.

If nothing works

If English will not stay on:

  1. Reopen the language menu after each update — updates can reset it.
  2. Switch your phone's region to a non-Chinese locale as a fallback.
  3. Use the app's built-in translate if the toggle is gone.

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Most travellers know about three of these before they fly. This one is often not one of them.

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