Apple prepares to debut first AI features in China in December after delay

Apple Intelligence is expected to arrive in China in December, but the rollout will exclude new Siri AI assistant and other recently announced features as the company awaits final regulatory clearance

By Mark Gurman

 

Apple Inc. is gearing up to release its artificial intelligence platform in mainland China, following a lengthy regulatory delay that has kept the company’s AI features out of one of its most important markets. 

The iPhone maker is planning to launch Apple Intelligence in the region in December as part of an upcoming iOS 27.3 update, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The debut will include the AI features first rolled out in the US two years ago on the iPhone, iPad and Mac. 

The launch will exclude the new Siri AI assistant and other features announced this year, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans are private.

 

The company received preliminary approval in July to introduce Apple Intelligence in China, but it recently held additional discussions with the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology about getting clearance for a consumer debut. Tim Cook, Apple’s executive chairman, attended a White House state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping last month.

 

A China rollout will follow years of work by Apple. At one point, the company believed the release would happen in May 2025. That was delayed until the end of 2025 and then again until this past spring, while the company was kept in the dark by the Chinese government’s approval process.

 

A spokesperson for Cupertino, California-based Apple declined to comment.

 

In order to get Apple Intelligence approved, the company had to make some concessions. Unlike in other countries, the platform has guardrails developed with China’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd., including a filter that allows the government to approve ongoing updates to the AI models. Apple is also working with Baidu Inc. on features related to search and Siri.

 

On Sept. 29, Apple received Chinese permits allowing recent iPhones to support the use of Apple Intelligence and Alibaba AI models, including Tongyi Wanxiang and Qwen.

 

The initial version of Apple Intelligence includes features like Genmoji custom emoji, notification summaries, writing tools and the ability to remove specific items from photos. But it’s uncertain if this technology will impress Chinese consumers. Many of Apple’s initial AI features were widely panned for not working properly and failing to keep pace with rival offerings.

 

That led the company to revamp Apple Intelligence and introduce Siri AI this year. But that new assistant, which was rebuilt using Google Gemini models, isn’t launching in China as part of the rollout.

 

The same is true of other fresh Apple Intelligence features, including the ability to expand a photo, an improved version of the writing tools, vastly upgraded Genmoji and a Siri mode for visual intelligence in the camera. Apple executives aren’t optimistic about Siri AI launching in China anytime soon.

 

The first version of Apple Intelligence in China will also lack the company’s in-house image-generation tools, including the Image Playground app, in order to comply with regulations. Some features for generating text will also be limited in some applications. 

 

With AI services proliferating on rival phones from Huawei Technologies Co., Xiaomi Corp., Oppo Guangdong Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Vivo Mobile Communication Co. and others in China, it’s unclear how much Apple will benefit from launching a two-year-old set of relatively basic AI features in the country.

 

The other major region where Apple has struggled to roll out its latest features is the European Union. The company launched the initial Apple Intelligence features there months after their US debut in 2024. With the latest capabilities, Apple received clearance to introduce most of them in Europe on schedule in September. 

 

However, Siri AI is still missing from the EU on iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches. People with knowledge of the matter say it remains unclear if or when Apple will receive approval for a local release.