Apple says the first Apple Intelligence features for China will enter developer testing on November 4, bringing tools such as live translation, writing assistance and photo editing to supported iPhones. The company said the features will become publicly available in December with iOS 27.3, following the required testing and regulatory process.
The announcement also confirms a partnership with Alibaba to bring its Qwen model into selected Apple Intelligence experiences. The initial rollout will not include Siri AI or the next-generation Apple Intelligence features Apple announced at WWDC 2026. Apple did not give a date for those capabilities in China.
Features and Qwen integration
The initial package includes live translation in Messages, FaceTime and Phone, systemwide Writing Tools, Visual Intelligence, the Clean Up tool in Photos, Genmoji and natural-language photo search. Apple is also bringing priority notifications, notification summaries, audio transcription summaries and the ability to type to Siri.
Apple also says users can create Memory movies in Photos from text descriptions, use Smart Reply in Mail and Messages, and have the Reduce Interruptions Focus mode surface only notifications that need immediate attention.
Apple says users can type to Siri even when a request is not fully formed, and continue a conversation while Siri keeps the context. Live Translation will also work for face-to-face conversations through AirPods 5, AirPods 4 with active noise cancellation, AirPods Pro 2 or later, and AirPods Max 2 when paired with a supported iPhone and updated firmware.
For some requests, Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence will be able to use Alibaba’s Qwen. Users can ask questions about photos and documents, including PDFs and presentations, or generate text through Writing Tools. Apple says users can access Qwen by signing in to a Qwen account or using Sign in with Apple.
Apple’s Chinese newsroom announcement says the features are powered by Apple’s own generative models, with Qwen support added to selected experiences. The company did not announce a date for bringing the China version to other platforms.
Supported devices and rollout
The first release is limited to iPhone models, including iPhone 16 and later, iPhone Duo, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone Air. Apple lists English or Simplified Chinese as supported language options for both Siri and device settings.
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Apple said support for other platforms will follow only after the necessary approvals. The December release will not include Siri AI, and the company has not announced when those features may reach China.
