Apple will officially launch its Apple Intelligence features in China during December, providing services to Chinese iPhone users alongside the iOS 27.3 update.
Approximately 18 new features will be included in the initial release, such as visual intelligence through camera controls, live translation for messages and phone calls, and writing tools for proofreading and summarising. Apple stated that the latest Siri AI capabilities and other next-generation AI services released in September will be excluded from this first rollout.
The initial launch will also feature notification summaries, real-time translation, rewriting tools, and the ability to remove objects from photos. Alibaba's flagship AI model, Qwen, will be integrated into the Apple Intelligence system.
Eddie Wu Yongming, chief executive officer of Alibaba, said, "We are delighted to cooperate with Apple." Wu Yongming added that Qwen will use Alibaba's deep AI technology stack to integrate into the Apple ecosystem and deliver new intelligent experiences for users in China. Chinese regulators granted Apple the licence to deploy AI services on iPhones in July.
Six other smartphone-based AI services, including those from Huawei Technologies and Samsung Electronics, received licences in July. Reuters reported that Apple trained its own large language model specifically for the Chinese market.
