After nearly two years of waiting, Apple Intelligence has cleared China’s regulatory hurdles and is now approved for iPhone use. The Cyberspace Administration’s registration removes the primary obstacle that kept the AI suite out of mainland China, paving the way for Apple to roll out its generative‑AI features on devices sold there. The next step is a launch date from Apple and the regulators.
Alibaba and Baidu are the new AI partners
Alibaba’s Qwen AI model Nadeem Sarwar / Digital Trends
Apple’s AI push in China leans on the expertise of two home‑grown giants. Alibaba has confirmed that its Qwen model will power Apple Intelligence across iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS for Chinese users, handling everything from text comprehension to image analysis and on‑device content creation. Baidu is also partnering with Apple, though the exact split of responsibilities between the two models remains undecided.
Baidu has announced a collaboration with Apple to bring Apple Intelligence to Chinese iPhones, but the division of tasks between Baidu’s own models and Alibaba’s Qwen is still uncertain. Meanwhile, the regulatory approval applies only to iPhones, meaning iPads, Macs and the Vision Pro headset will have to wait for separate clearance. In short, the long‑awaited AI boost is arriving, but not yet across the entire Apple ecosystem in China.
Chinese iPhones can finally leverage AI
Apple
Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence in June 2024, but regulatory constraints kept the feature off‑limits to mainland China for almost two years. Apple’s own support pages note that devices already sold in the region can enable the service as soon as the rollout is announced.
That delay put Apple behind domestic rivals such as Huawei and Xiaomi, which had already woven generative AI into their smartphones and other products. Even though Apple and Alibaba lodged their features for review in early 2025, broader US‑China tensions slowed the approval process.
