Apple Intelligence is expected to arrive in China in December, but the rollout will exclude new Siri AI assistant and other recently announced features as the company awaits final regulatory clearance
Apple Intelligence is expected to arrive in China in December, but the rollout will exclude new Siri AI assistant and other recently announced features as the company awaits final regulatory clearance
Apple Inc. is gearing up to release its artificial intelligence platform in mainland China, following a lengthy regulatory delay that has kept the company’s AI features out of one of its most important markets.
The iPhone maker is planning to launch Apple Intelligence in the region in December as part of an upcoming iOS 27.3 update, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The debut will include the AI features first rolled out in the US two years ago on the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
The launch will exclude the new Siri AI assistant and other features announced this year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private.
The company received preliminary approval in July to introduce Apple Intelligence in China, but it recently held additional discussions with the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology about getting clearance for a consumer debut. Tim Cook, Apple’s executive chairman, attended a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.
A China rollout will follow years of work by Apple. At one point, the company believed the release would happen in May 2025. That was delayed until the end of 2025 and then again until this past spring, while the company was kept in the dark by the Chinese government’s approval process.
A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.
In order to get Apple Intelligence approved, the company had to make some concessions. Unlike in other countries, the platform has guardrails developed with China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., including a filter that allows the government to approve ongoing updates to the AI models. Apple is also working with Baidu Inc. on features related to search and Siri.
On Sept. 29, Apple received Chinese permits allowing recent iPhones to support the use of Apple Intelligence and Alibaba AI models, including Tongyi Wanxiang and Qwen.
The initial version of Apple Intelligence includes features like Genmoji custom emoji, notification summaries, writing tools and the ability to remove specific items from photos. But it’s uncertain if this technology will impress Chinese consumers. Many of Apple’s initial AI features were widely panned for not working properly and failing to keep pace with rival offerings.
Averytin News Financial update.