Two years later, Apple Intelligence makes its way to China

Apple Intelligence, an AI-based feature, will soon become available to Chinese iPhone users starting November 4 in an open beta. Although introduced in 2024, the feature had not been accessible in China. Apple confirmed on October 31 that the initial core features would be rolled out as a beta in China, offering tools for Photos, such as Clean Up to remove unwanted elements from images, memory videos, and natural language search.

Visual Intelligence, utilizing the iPhone camera, and smart emoji generation are also part of the package. Writing tools, including proofreading, rewriting, summarizing text, notification summaries, and email summaries, are included. Smart Reply will propose quick responses to messages, while Notes will gain audio transcription, and calls can be transcribed and summarized.

The update does not include Siri AI, which only became available in other countries in 2026. Apple faced challenges in bringing Apple Intelligence to the iPhone due to Chinese regulations, necessitating collaboration with local partners who approved the models. Apple claims to employ generative models developed by its own team, and is also partnering with Alibaba to add Qianwen support within Siri. The developer beta begins on November 4, and the feature will launch with iOS 27.3 in December.