Apple Intelligence has been approved in China and a test version will arrive later this month without Siri AI, Apple executive chairman Tim Cook said Thursday in Shanghai. Apple plans a December consumer launch with iOS 27.3, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. The planned release would bring China mostly the features introduced two years ago in the United States, while the rebuilt Siri stays unavailable.

Earlier internal targets slipped from May 2025 to the end of that year, then to this past spring.

What Changed

AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.

Two release windows

Cook named Live Translation, Writing Tools and the Clean Up tool in Photos as the first features. The December report lists Genmoji custom emoji and notification summaries alongside Writing Tools and photo object removal.

Apple has published no China consumer launch date or feature list. The December date rests on unnamed sources. No one has said on the record how Cook's October test version relates to the December date. Apple declined to comment.

Approvals and local partners

China's cyberspace regulator registered Apple Intelligence for use on iPhones in July. China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued network-access permits on September 29 allowing recent iPhones, including the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro, to support Apple Intelligence and Alibaba's Tongyi Wanxiang and Qwen models.

Apple developed guardrails with Alibaba, including a filter that allows the government to approve ongoing updates to the AI models. Baidu is working with Apple on search and Siri-related features.

Cook also met commerce minister Wang Wentao on Thursday to discuss AI development and Apple's business in China.

Apple's support page, published September 14, says Apple Intelligence does not currently work on supported devices bought in mainland China. Previously purchased compatible devices will be able to activate a core set of features when the service arrives. New features will remain unavailable while Apple works through regulatory requirements.

Features excluded

The planned consumer release excludes Image Playground and Apple's other in-house image-generation tools to comply with regulations. Some text-generation functions will also be limited in certain applications.

Other omissions include photo expansion, improved Writing Tools, upgraded Genmoji and a Siri mode for visual intelligence in the camera. The rebuilt Siri uses Google Gemini models, and Apple executives are not optimistic about its arrival in China anytime soon.

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The package largely consists of capabilities introduced in 2024. Cook's list also includes Live Translation, which arrived the following year.

China sales before AI

Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo already offer AI services on their phones in China. How much Apple gains from introducing a two-year-old set of relatively basic features is unclear.

Apple's Greater China business grew without Apple Intelligence. Revenue rose 22% from a year earlier to $18.82 billion in the June 2026 quarter. That followed growth of 28% to $20.50 billion in the March quarter and 38% to $25.53 billion in the December 2025 quarter. Sales increased across all three periods, while the pace of annual growth slowed.

iPhone Duo pre-orders open Friday, October 16, in 70 countries, including China, with shipments beginning October 23. Apple reports fiscal fourth-quarter results November 2, covering a quarter that ended before the China test version arrives.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does Apple Intelligence launch in China?

Tim Cook said a test version arrives later in October 2026. Apple plans a December consumer launch with iOS 27.3, according to people with knowledge of the matter. Apple has not published a China launch date, and no one has said on the record how the October test relates to the December date.

Which Apple Intelligence features come first in China?

Cook named Live Translation, Writing Tools and the Clean Up tool in Photos. The December plans also list Genmoji custom emoji and notification summaries. The package mostly consists of features Apple introduced in the United States in 2024.

What is left out of the China version?

Siri AI, the rebuilt assistant that uses Google Gemini models, is excluded. So are Image Playground and Apple's other in-house image-generation tools, photo expansion, improved Writing Tools, upgraded Genmoji and a Siri mode for visual intelligence. Some text generation will be limited in certain apps.

What role do Alibaba and Baidu play?

Apple developed guardrails with Alibaba, including a filter that allows the Chinese government to approve ongoing updates to the AI models. Permits issued September 29 cover Alibaba's Tongyi Wanxiang and Qwen models on recent iPhones. Baidu is working with Apple on search and Siri-related features.

Will iPhones bought earlier in China get the features?

Apple's support page says previously purchased compatible devices will be able to activate a core set of Apple Intelligence features when the service arrives in mainland China. New features will remain unavailable while Apple works through regulatory requirements.

AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.

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Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai