Apple Intelligence Arrives in China With Alibaba's Qwen AI

Qwen takes the place of ChatGPT

In Japan and other markets, Apple Intelligence integrates OpenAI's ChatGPT. In mainland China, however, ChatGPT is not officially available. Generative AI services there require registration with the authorities, and Apple Intelligence's registration was made public in July 2026.

Qwen will now fill the role ChatGPT plays elsewhere. Users will be able to ask Siri questions, query the contents of photos and PDFs, and generate text through the writing tools.

The update also brings the tool for removing unwanted objects from photos, plus summaries of email and notifications. Genmoji, which creates custom emoji from a text description, and Live Translation for calls and FaceTime are included as well.

Supported devices and limits

The feature works on the iPhone 15 Pro series and the iPhone 16 and later, though the device and Siri language settings must meet certain conditions. Availability on iPad and Mac will need separate approval.

The China update does not include the next-generation Apple Intelligence features unveiled at WWDC 2026. That covers the new "Siri AI," which is already available as a beta in Japan.

For Chinese iPhone owners, the trial marks the start of access to Apple's AI tools. The broader release is due in December with iOS 27.3.