Chinese regulator, according to SCMP, approved Alibaba models for Apple Intelligence — Engadget

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, according to Engadget, has approved Alibaba artificial intelligence models for Apple Intelligence on compatible Apple devices in mainland China. The publication cites the South China Morning Post, which is owned by Alibaba Group.

Alibaba models for Apple Intelligence

This concerns the Tongyi Qianwen family of large language models, known as Qwen, as well as the Tongyi Wanxiang tool for generating images and videos. These models and the tool are to be used for Apple Intelligence to operate in China.

Apple already received permission to deploy Apple Intelligence in mainland China in July, but, according to the South China Morning Post, the system has still not launched there. The updated documents also include network access approvals for the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro.

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Expected launch in China

The iPhone Duo is scheduled to launch in China next week. One of its key software features is expected to be an updated Siri with artificial intelligence.

Some Apple Intelligence capabilities are already available in Hong Kong. At the same time, China’s rules on artificial intelligence and data privacy have delayed the system’s launch on the mainland. According to Engadget, Apple Intelligence may appear there almost two years after its launch in the United States.

In the United States, Apple works with Google and OpenAI to train models and route complex requests. Reports of Apple’s possible cooperation with Chinese AI companies to launch Apple Intelligence emerged in early 2025, and in the summer it became known that Qwen would play a central role in the system’s operation on compatible iPhones, iPads, Macs and Vision Pro devices for Chinese buyers.