Apple has officially introduced Apple Intelligence in mainland China with the release of iOS 27.3 developer beta 1, giving Chinese iPhone users access to AI features for the first time. The update arrived on November 3, carrying build number 24C5037i, with testing beginning in China on November 4.
The rollout follows more than two years of delays since Apple Intelligence debuted in the United States with iOS 18.1. Apple previously faced regulatory challenges in China, which led the company to partner with Alibaba to develop localized AI capabilities.
Apple Intelligence Features Available in China
According to Apple’s official announcement, the first release includes several existing AI capabilities that improve writing, communication, photography, and notification management.
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The supported features include:
- Live Translation: Real-time translation in Messages, FaceTime, Phone, and compatible AirPods.
- Writing Tools: Rewrite, proofread, summarize, and generate text.
- Visual Intelligence: Identify objects, locations, and information using the iPhone camera.
- Photos: Remove unwanted objects with Clean Up, search using natural language, and create Memory movies.
- Genmoji: Generate personalized emoji using text descriptions.
- Mail and Notifications: Priority messages, smart replies, notification summaries, and Reduce Interruptions Focus.
- Notes and Phone: AI-generated summaries of audio recordings and call transcripts.
Alibaba’s Qwen AI Powers Select Features
Apple has integrated Alibaba’s Qwen AI model into Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence, allowing users to access additional text generation, image understanding, and conversational capabilities.
However, Apple’s newer Siri AI experience and next-generation Apple Intelligence features introduced at WWDC 2026 remain unavailable in China. The initial rollout includes existing Siri improvements such as Type to Siri and better language understanding.
Supported iPhones and Release Date
Apple Intelligence in China supports the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 and newer models, including the iPhone Air and iPhone Duo. Users must configure their device and Siri languages according to Apple’s English and Simplified Chinese requirements.
Developers can test the features through the iOS 27.3 beta update, while Apple has confirmed that the stable version will arrive in December 2026.
For now, the Chinese rollout is limited to compatible iPhones, with iPad, Mac, and other Apple platforms awaiting additional regulatory approvals.
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