China takes another step toward approving Apple Intelligence

A new official filing marks the conclusion of another regulatory hurdle that has been preventing Apple Intelligence from launching in Apple’s crucial Chinese market.

In mid-June 2026, Apple’s Chinese partner Alibaba unveiled its latest AI model and, most significantly, revealed that it was now compatible with Apple Intelligence. Now according to Reuters, China’s cyberspace regulator has allowed Apple Intelligence to be registered for use on iPhones in the region.

China has complex requirements for regulatory approval, and sufficiently so that US firms typically need to involve a local partner. It’s not certain yet whether this latest listing is the final step toward Apple Intelligence launching in China, but it appears to be, and it marks more than two years of effort from Apple.

Apple has not commented on the regulator’s listing, and Alibaba has only confirmed certain details that were already presumed. Specifically, the company stated that its new Qwen AI model will be integrated into Apple Intelligence, when that becomes available for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro users in China.

The report also cites an unspecified source saying that Apple Intelligence will also incorporate technologies from Baidu. This has also been presumed, as despite seemingly choosing against Baidu as a full partner in 2024, Apple reportedly signed with the company for specific functions such as Visual Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence has effectively required partnerships with local companies even though Apple has been able to release iOS in the country without the same level of scrutiny. This is because China has restrictive laws about generative AI software, large language models, and data privacy.

It’s sufficiently difficult to obtain Chinese government approval for any such services, that OpenAI is banned in the country. Apple needed to partner with firms such as Alibaba and Baidu which already had certain approvals. Use of these Chinese firms, though, also raises issues over how Apple Intelligence will be censored in the country.

Apple appears to have worked through all the technical issues, though, and has been waiting only for regulatory approval. That’s because in March 2026, Apple Intelligence was briefly enabled in China, apparently by mistake.