China clears Apple Intelligence for iPhones, paving China rollout

China’s cyberspace regulator has registered Apple Intelligence for use on iPhones in China, clearing a major hurdle for Apple’s long-promised rollout in one of its most tightly controlled markets. The approval does not give Chinese consumers the feature yet, and the regulator gave no launch date, leaving Apple’s AI push dependent on Beijing’s pace and conditions.

Apple unveiled Apple Intelligence at WWDC on June 10, 2024 as a personal intelligence system deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. In China, though, the service must pass through a different gate. The country’s Interim Measures for the Management of Generative AI Services took effect on August 15, 2023 and require generative AI services to be filed with regulators before they can be offered to the public. Registration is not a formality in China; it is the price of entry.

That price includes working with approved domestic partners. Apple Intelligence in China will incorporate models from Alibaba and Baidu, showing how far Apple has had to adapt its product to local rules. Alibaba said Qwen will be integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro in China. A Baidu spokesperson said the company is working with Apple on features for Chinese users. The arrangement suggests Apple is not simply exporting the same AI system it sells elsewhere. It is building a China-specific version shaped by local approvals and local model providers.

The rollout has already proven sensitive. Apple Intelligence briefly appeared on some iPhones in China in March 2026 before being removed, a sign of how closely the service is being managed. Chinese regulators have also been expanding oversight of the sector as the market grows: services filed with the Cyberspace Administration of China numbered 64 by December 2023, 188 by August 2024 and 302 by December 2024, with more than 600 million registered uses by then.

Apple is seeking this opening as China remains critical to its business. Apple’s China shipments rose 24.4% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, even as IDC said China smartphone shipments totaled about 66 million units, down 4.3% from a year earlier. Apple and Huawei were the only major brands to post growth. Compared with U.S. rivals that have either kept their core consumer products out of mainland China or operated there only through deep localization, Apple appears to be gaining access by accepting tighter constraints on how its AI works, who supplies it, and when Chinese users can finally see it.