China approves Apple Intelligence for iPhone rollout

Anabelle Colaco
16 Jul 2026, 19:48 GMT+10

Apple's generative artificial intelligence service, Apple Intelligence, has been registered with China's cyberspace regulator, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for its long-awaited launch on iPhones in the country
China requires companies to register large language models and generative AI services with regulators before they can be made available to the public
Apple Intelligence will incorporate capabilities from AI models developed by Baidu and Alibaba

BEIJING, China: Apple's generative artificial intelligence service, Apple Intelligence, has been registered with China's cyberspace regulator, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for its long-awaited launch on iPhones in the country.

China requires companies to register large language models and generative AI services with regulators before they can be made available to the public.

Apple Intelligence will incorporate capabilities from AI models developed by Baidu and Alibaba, a source familiar with the matter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The approval could strengthen Apple's position in China, where consumers have been waiting for the rollout of Apple Intelligence.

Alibaba said in a statement that its Qwen model will be integrated into Apple Intelligence across Apple's iPhone (iOS), iPad (iPadOS), Mac (macOS) and Vision Pro (visionOS) operating systems in China.

A Baidu spokesperson also said the company is working with Apple to develop Apple Intelligence features for Chinese iPhone users.

The cyberspace regulator did not provide a launch date for Apple Intelligence in China.

Apple reported a 24.4 percent year-on-year increase in its China shipments during the second quarter.

Separately, the regulator also approved ZTE's Nubia-Doubao smartphone model. Nubia is a smartphone brand owned by telecoms equipment maker ZTE, which works with ByteDance to produce the AI-focused Doubao smartphone.