Apple Intelligence to roll out on iPhones in China in December with Alibaba backing

Apple Intelligence will debut in China's iPhone market in December, following a two-year regulatory delay, as the tech giant partners with Alibaba Group Holding to bring advanced AI capabilities to its second-largest market. The initial batch of features will launch alongside iOS 27.3 in December, following a developer open beta test starting November 4.

These initial 18 new services include writing tools for summarizing and proofreading, real-time translation for calls and messages, and visual intelligence through camera controls. However, China's users will not have access to Apple's latest Siri AI features and other next-generation AI services introduced in September. The statement did not specify when Apple Intelligence would become available to other Apple devices in China.

Alibaba's flagship AI model, Qwen, will be integrated into Apple Intelligence through a partnership, enabling users to prompt text generation, image creation, and document analysis via Siri. Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu Yongming expressed delight at the collaboration, stating that Qwen will leverage Alibaba's deep AI technology to deliver new intelligent experiences for Chinese Apple users.

This launch comes after years of regulatory challenges in China, where Apple Intelligence was launched in the US and other international markets in 2024. Chinese cyberspace rules require generative AI models to undergo strict safety reviews before deployment. In July, Chinese regulators granted Apple the necessary license to roll out AI services on iPhones in the country, joining six other smartphone-based AI services, including those from Samsung Electronics and Huawei Technologies.