Apple Intelligence Coming to China in December With iOS 27.3

Apple plans to bring Apple Intelligence to China in iOS 27.3 after two years of regulatory delays, reports Bloomberg. The launch will include basic ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features for things like photo editing, but Siri AI won’t be available. Image Playground and the newer version of Genmoji will be missing, plus text generation tools will be limited.

The South China Morning Post today reported that China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology recently gave Apple network access permits to add Alibaba’s Qwen and Tongyi Wanxiang models to the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and earlier iPhones, paving the way for an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ debut. Apple introduced the first ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in iOS 18.1, but they have been missing from China since launch. Apple received initial clearance to launch ‌Apple Intelligence‌ in China in July, but needed additional clearance for a consumer launch.

China restricts foreign AI technology, which meant Apple had to partner with Alibaba and Baidu to launch ‌Apple Intelligence‌ in the country. Apple also has to allow the Chinese government to approve ongoing updates to the AI models. Competing smartphone makers in China like Huawei have long offered artificial intelligence features, and Apple has been at a disadvantage without comparable tools.

Bloomberg reports that Apple plans to finally launch Apple Intelligence in China in December, although some important features could still be missing. Here are the details.

Apple’s integrated AI system is still yet to be rolled out in mainland China, despite launching nearly two years ago. Alibaba AI models cleared for use in Apple Intelligence in China just in time for the iPhone Duo launch.

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Big Tech Apple Alibaba AI models cleared for use in Apple Intelligence in China just in time for the iPhone Duo launch Apple’s integrated AI system is still yet to be rolled out in mainland China, despite launching nearly two years ago. As reported by the South China Morning Post, which is owned by the Alibaba Group, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has given regulatory approval for Tongyi Qianwen, the group of LLMs better known as Qwen, as well as the Tongyi Wanxiang AI-generated image and video tool.

Apple had already received clearance to roll out Apple Intelligence on the Chinese mainland back in July, but the South China Morning Post ‘s report says it has not yet done so. The updated filings include network access permits for the iPhone Duo and 18 Pro, with the former set to launch in China next week with the new and improved Siri AI as one of its flagship software features.

Much of Apple Intelligence’s feature set is already available in Hong Kong, but the mainland’s complex AI and privacy laws have required Apple to be patient about bringing what is now a core feature to one of its fastest-growing markets. It will seemingly now arrive almost exactly two years after it launched in the US, where Apple has worked with both Google and OpenAI to train its models and hand off complex questions.

Reports that Apple would seek to work with Chinese AI firms for a workaround to bring Apple Intelligence to the country first emerged as far back as early 2025, with Alibaba named at the time. Back in the summer, it was confirmed that Qwen would be central to Apple Intelligence in compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro models that it sells to its Chinese customers.

IOS 27.3 is expected in December. Related Roundups: iOS 27, iPadOS 27 Tags: Apple Intelligence, China Related Forum: iOS 27 This article, " Apple Intelligence Coming to China in December With iOS 27.3 " first appeared on com Discuss this article in our forums.

Apple Intelligence Coming to China in December With iOS 27.3.