Apple Intelligence Comes to China with iOS 27.3, and Alibaba's Qwen Joins Siri
Apple announced on October 31 that the initial Apple Intelligence features will be tested in China starting November 4, ahead of a December launch with iOS 27.3. Alibaba's Qwen can be called from Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence, but Siri AI is not part of the release.
Apple Intelligence is finally coming to China. In a press release published on October 31, 2026 in its Chinese newsroom, Apple announced that its initial AI features will be tested starting November 4 with the latest iOS developer beta, ahead of a public rollout in December with iOS 27.3. The key highlight is a partnership with Alibaba: its Qwen (千问) assistant will be accessible from Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence.
Apple’s Models, Backed by Qwen
Apple points out that its AI in China is built on its own generative models. Qwen steps in for specific experiences: Siri will be able to hand off queries that require broader world knowledge, users can ask it questions about photos and documents (PDFs, presentations), and a generation feature in Writing Tools will allow it to draft original content. Access requires signing in with a Qwen account or using “Sign in with Apple.” The setup mirrors the ChatGPT integration launched by Apple outside China in 2024.
The rest of the lineup matches what other countries have already seen: live translation in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone; Writing Tools; Genmoji; the Clean Up tool in Photos; natural language photo search; notification and email summaries; suggested replies; and the option to Type to Siri.
Launch Limitations
Siri AI, the next-generation version of the assistant, and the other new features introduced at WWDC 2026 are not part of this rollout. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 and later models, iPhone Air, and iPhone Duo are supported, with Siri and the device language set to English or Simplified Chinese. Apple’s other platforms will have to wait for the required regulatory approvals.
On Alibaba’s side, Xinhua reports that the company promises not to use queries and responses to train its models, and that users retain the choice to turn on Qwen. Neither company has disclosed which version of Qwen is being utilized.
Our take
Apple is working around the issue of accessing American models in China without relinquishing its core product: its proprietary models remain the foundation, while Qwen fills the role played by ChatGPT elsewhere. For Alibaba, it is a massive showcase, giving Qwen direct access from the iPhone’s system assistant in one of its primary markets. Yet, by shipping without Siri AI or the 2026 innovations, the Chinese iPhone remains a step behind the rest of the world, and subsequent rollouts remain dependent on regulatory green lights, platform by platform.
Sources
- Apple (Mainland China) — Apple 智能即将登陆中国 (October 31, 2026) Primary source
- Xinhua — Alibaba's Qwen AI model to integrate into Apple Intelligence in landmark partnership Secondary source
- The Verge — Apple Intelligence is finally coming to China with iOS 27.3 Secondary source
A primary source comes directly from the company, lab or organization concerned. A secondary source reports the information without being its author: we flag it as such. Spotted an error? See our corrections policy.
