Apple Intelligence cleared for mainland China, two years after its US debut

Tim Cook said on 15 October that Apple Intelligence had been approved in China, opening the way for the company to put its artificial intelligence features on iPhones sold in mainland China for the first time. Cook, Apple’s executive chairman, told The Paper, a Chinese state-run outlet, that a test version would roll out later this month.

Apple expects to release Apple Intelligence in mainland China with iOS 27.3 in December, roughly two years after its first release in other markets. The initial Chinese version will include live translation, writing tools and a photo cleanup tool. Its AI-powered Siri will not be included at launch.

The approval ends a long absence for a product Apple first introduced in the United States in October 2024. The company began rolling out its first Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1 that month, including writing assistance, notification summaries and photo cleanup.

For China, Apple has built the service around artificial intelligence models from Alibaba. The iPhone Duo, Apple’s new foldable iPhone, is registered with three AI models: Apple Intelligence, Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen and Tongyi Wanxiang.

Qianwen, called Qwen outside China, is Alibaba’s large language model. Wanxiang generates images and video.

The regulatory path had been taking shape before Cook’s announcement. The Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator, said in July that Apple Intelligence had been registered for use on iPhones.

Then, on 29 September, records from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology were updated with registration numbers for the AI models carried by iPhone models, including the iPhone Duo.

China’s 2023 rules for generative AI services require providers to uphold ‘core socialist values’. They also bar material that incites subversion of state power or damages China’s national image.

A report relaying Bloomberg’s account said Apple and Alibaba Group developed guardrails for the China service, including a filter through which the Chinese government can approve model updates.

The arrangement has also brought pressure from Washington. The Pentagon designated Alibaba a Chinese military company on 8 June.

On 16 October, Representative John Moolenaar told The Epoch Times that Apple should drop Alibaba as a partner.

The China launch comes as Apple seeks to offer the same broad category of new iPhone features in a market that generated $64.377 billion of its fiscal 2025 net sales. Sales in Greater China fell 4% in fiscal 2025.