Apple brings Apple Intelligence to China with iOS 27.3 beta November 4

Apple said iOS 27.3 will bring Apple Intelligence to China, with a developer beta arriving November 4 and a public release planned for December.

The company did not give a specific date for the public release. The November 4 beta date likely means Tuesday, November 3 in the United States because of time zone differences.

The initial China release will exclude the new Siri AI assistant and other next-generation Apple Intelligence capabilities announced at WWDC 2026. Image Playground will not be available in China with iOS 27.3.

The first release will include Writing Tools, Genmoji, Clean Up in Photos, Notification Summaries, Priority Notifications, Visual Intelligence, and Live Translation with AirPods. Apple requires users to set the iPhone language and Siri language to English and Chinese Simplified.

Apple said it partnered with Alibaba so Qwen supports Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence in the China version. According to Reuters, Apple built a large language model made just for China, developed in partnership with Alibaba.

People can use Qwen by logging in with a Qwen account or with Sign in with Apple. Qwen will work inside Writing Tools to create new content from nothing using a compose feature. Siri can pass some requests to Qwen for wider knowledge, and users can ask about photos and documents such as PDFs and presentations.

Live Translation works through AirPods 5, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods Pro 2 and later, or AirPods Max 2 running the latest firmware, paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone. Genmoji makes a custom emoji based on words typed by the user.

Apple said supported devices include iPhone 15 Pro and newer models in China. A separate list includes iPhone 16 and later models, iPhone Duo, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone Air.

In China, Apple Intelligence will remain unavailable on Mac, iPad, and other devices until Apple gets the required approvals. Visual Intelligence lets users quickly learn about objects and places nearby using the iPhone camera, and the Clean Up tool in Photos removes distracting objects while preserving the captured moment.

Photos natural language search lets someone type a description to locate a particular photo or video, and users can create a Memory movie in Photos from a description alone. The Mail app displays a Priority Messages section above the rest of the inbox, and users can tap in e-mail summaries to see key points from one e-mail or an entire conversation.

Smart Reply creates fast reply suggestions in Mail and Messages. Notification summaries display key details on the Lock Screen when notifications are long or stacked, and Priority Notifications put urgent items first while Reduce Interruptions Focus mode only lets through notifications that need attention right away. The Notes app automatically generates audio transcription summaries, and users can make summaries of call transcripts that point out key details.

With Type to Siri, users can type requests to Siri, and Siri can accurately understand halting phrasing while maintaining context across consecutive exchanges. Apple described Apple Intelligence as driven by Apple’s self-built generative models deeply integrated into apps and experiences.

China approved Apple Intelligence in July. The Cyberspace Administration of China registered Apple’s generative AI service in July 2026, clearing the way for Apple Intelligence, and Beijing approved Apple as the first foreign company to offer its own AI model in China.

On September 29, Apple received Chinese permits allowing recent iPhones to support Apple Intelligence and Alibaba AI models including Tongyi Wanxiang and Qwen. To obtain approval, Apple made concessions including guardrails developed with Alibaba and a filter allowing the government to approve ongoing updates to AI models.

Under the arrangement, Alibaba’s Qwen model will be part of the Apple Intelligence version shipping with compatible iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Vision Pro devices in China, and the service will also incorporate technology from Baidu. Apple is working with Baidu on features related to search and Siri.

Bloomberg said Apple “is planning to launch Apple Intelligence in the region in December as part of an upcoming iOS 27.3 update”. Apple released iOS 27.2 on October 26, 2026.

Local smartphone makers including Huawei, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo have already introduced their own AI capabilities in China. The absence of AI features on Chinese iPhones weighs on sales, and buyers turned to Chinese brands that include AI assistants.

9To5Mac said the initial Apple Intelligence features may not win over Chinese consumers, and whether they are enough is unclear. The Asahi Shimbun said Apple’s self-trained model would operate alongside third-party Chinese models, but its role there was not immediately clear. China remains critical to Apple’s fortunes and accounts for a significant share of its revenue.

Apple postponed the rollout while changing its features to fit Chinese rules. Apple Intelligence’s China launch followed a long and complex process shaped by rules on AI-generated content, security checks, and algorithm registration.

Joe Tsai, Alibaba chair, said in February 2025 in Dubai that Apple would use Alibaba AI to power its phones in China. Apple published a Chinese-language guide for eligible Mac users to connect Qwen to Siri and Writing Tools, then deleted the guide without explanation.

Apple said it is working constructively with the European Union to find a path forward to launch Siri AI in Europe. Siri AI remains unavailable in Europe due to regulatory issues.