Cook confirms Apple Intelligence China test version due late October
Zhidx reported on Oct 15 that Apple board executive chairman Tim Cook, speaking to media in Shanghai, confirmed Apple Intelligence will release a test version in China by the end of October, with Apple Intelligence and related Alibaba Qwen models approved; the first features include live translation, writing tools and a photo cleanup tool, but not Siri AI. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman separately reported the same day that the full version is expected in December alongside iOS 27.3 in China, without the new Siri AI, Image Playground or the latest Genmoji, and with limited text-generation tools. MIIT network access license records show the foldable iPhone Duo completed a certificate change on Sept 29 adding model filing numbers corresponding to Apple Intelligence, Tongyi Wanxiang and Tongyi Qianwen, while China's cyberspace regulator said on July 15 that Apple Intelligence passed generative AI service filing on July 8.
The China rollout brings Apple Intelligence to iPhone users in one of Apple's largest markets and makes Alibaba's Qwen a key model partner on Chinese devices.