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Apple Intelligence cleared for China launch
China has approved Apple Intelligence, with Alibaba’s Qwen integrated into Apple’s platforms and Baidu also confirmed as a partner.
Image: TechCrunch
Apple Intelligence is finally heading to China after approval from the country’s internet content regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, according to Reuters.
The approval comes through a deal to integrate Alibaba’s Qwen AI model into Apple’s operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. The move clears a major hurdle for Apple in a market where its AI features had been held back since Apple Intelligence debuted in 2024.
On Wednesday evening, a Baidu spokesperson also confirmed to TechCrunch that the company is working with Apple on Apple Intelligence features for users in China. That partnership had previously been rumored, alongside reports that Apple was struggling to adapt its models for Chinese customers.
The Alibaba arrangement, which had also been rumored last year, is a notable step for Apple in one of its most important markets. In the second quarter, Apple reported $20.5 billion in sales in Greater China, up 28% from a year earlier. The company also recently regained its No. 2 position in China’s smartphone market after discounts on the iPhone lineup during a recent shopping festival.
Apple is also reportedly exploring integrations with DeepSeek and ByteDance.
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Earlier, Alibaba confirmed the news to CNBC, saying its Qwen models would be “integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences,” without giving a launch timeframe. It added that the integration would cover AI features including “text and image understanding and generation.”
The article was updated on Thursday, July 16, to add Baidu’s statement.
AI Editor
Ava covers the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence, from foundational models and research labs to the real-world economics of intelligence. With a background in computational linguistics, she cuts through the hype to find out what actually works. She firmly believes that benchmarks are just marketing until reproduced in the wild.
via TechCrunch
