Apple reportedly plans December China launch for Apple Intelligence using Alibaba models

Apple plans to launch Apple Intelligence in mainland China in December through its iOS 27.3 update, Bloomberg reported. The rollout would bring an initial set of AI features to Chinese users after an extended regulatory approval process. The China version will incorporate Alibaba’s Qwen and Tongyi Wanxiang models, while Apple is also working with Baidu on search and Siri-related functions. Apple received permits on September 29 allowing recent iPhones to support Apple Intelligence and the Alibaba models. The initial release is expected to include writing tools, notification summaries, Genmoji and the Clean Up photo-editing feature. The redesigned Siri AI assistant and Apple’s Image Playground image-generation tool will not be included in the December rollout. [Bloomberg]