Apple will launch Apple Intelligence for supported iPhones in China in December, integrating Alibaba’s Qwen models into Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence. The features will arrive with iOS 27.3, with developer beta testing scheduled to begin on November 4.
The release brings Apple’s AI platform to mainland China more than two years after its original introduction in 2024. It combines an initial set of Apple Intelligence features with access to Qwen for tasks such as generating content, interpreting images and answering questions about documents. The more advanced Siri AI capabilities announced at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this year will not be part of the December update.
Qwen will serve as an additional resource within several Apple interfaces. Siri will be able to draw on the models to answer some questions, while users can submit selected photos and documents for analysis. Supported document examples include PDF files and presentations, allowing users to ask questions about material they choose to share.
In Writing Tools, a Compose with Qwen option will generate original text and images from prompts. The integration also extends to Visual Intelligence, Apple’s camera-based AI interface, where an Ask Qwen option will let users seek information about objects and places. These entry points put the Alibaba models inside existing system experiences rather than requiring users to switch to a separate chatbot application.
Apple says users will be asked for permission before a question, image or document is sent to Qwen. The integration is optional, and users can sign in through Apple or use an existing Qwen account. Alibaba says requests and responses handled through the integration will not be used to train its models. Those controls distinguish access to the external model from the other features included under the Apple Intelligence name.
The initial release will also bring Live Translation, tools for rewriting and proofreading text, photo object removal through Clean Up, and natural-language photo search. Other features include Genmoji, Memory Movie creation, email and notification summaries, Smart Reply, Priority Notifications and Reduce Interruptions. Audio transcription summaries, call summaries and Type to Siri are also included in the first wave.
Despite that breadth, the rollout does not include the rebuilt Siri experience with deeper personal context, onscreen awareness and broader system actions. Users will therefore receive the earlier set of Apple Intelligence capabilities alongside Qwen integration, rather than the full collection of next-generation features introduced this year.
The launch follows a regulatory step in July, when China’s cyberspace regulator registered Apple’s on-device generative AI service for iPhones. Alibaba had confirmed its partnership with Apple in February 2025. Support for Apple platforms beyond the iPhone is expected to follow once the necessary approvals are obtained; no release dates for those platforms were specified.
Compatible devices include the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 models and later, iPhone Air and iPhone Duo. At launch, both the device language and Siri language must be set to a supported language, with English and Simplified Chinese available.
Sources: South China Morning Post, Anadolu Ajansı, The Apple Post, China Daily