China's cyberspace regulator has cleared Apple Intelligence for release, letting Apple launch its AI features in the world's largest smartphone market. Alibaba's Qwen model will power the service on iPhones, iPads, Macs and the Vision Pro in the country.
Apple has secured government approval in China for its artificial-intelligence system, removing a major roadblock to launching the service in its most competitive market. China's top cyberspace regulator said Wednesday that the company had successfully registered its Apple Intelligence service, a step firms must clear before releasing most generative AI to the public there.
A year of local partnerships
Apple first submitted some features for regulatory review in early 2025, after spending nearly a year co-developing them with local technology firms Alibaba and Baidu. The company had initially hoped the AI capabilities would help it regain market share in the country.
Foreign AI models, such as those from OpenAI and Google, largely aren't officially available in China, which pushed Apple to seek local partners. According to an Alibaba spokesperson, Qwen would be integrated into Apple Intelligence for users across the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro.
Pressure from local rivals
The missing AI service had threatened to stall iPhone upgrade cycles while Apple faced competition from Huawei, Xiaomi and Oppo, which have rolled out AI features quickly. In the second quarter, iPhone shipments in China jumped 24% from a year earlier, keeping Apple the No. 2 seller behind Huawei, according to research firm IDC.
Shipments for most Chinese brands fell after they raised prices to offset surging costs of memory chips and other components. Apple also raised prices of many products globally in late June.
Source: MarketScreener
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
