Apple has started testing Apple Intelligence in China, and Alibaba's Qwen model is part of it. Apple says testing opens on November 4, 2026, in the latest iOS developer beta, and that the public release for users in China comes in December with iOS 27.3. Euronews reports the trial started that day.
What Apple and Alibaba announced
Apple published a press release on its China newsroom on October 31, 2026. The Chinese title reads "Apple Intelligence is coming to China" (Apple 智能即将登陆中国). Apple says it reached a partnership with Alibaba to add support for Qwen (千问) to some Apple Intelligence experiences. Users in China can use Qwen directly in Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence, including text and image understanding.
Xinhua reports that Alibaba announced the partnership on Saturday, October 31. Alibaba Group CEO Eddie Wu said Qwen will integrate into Apple's ecosystem and work with Apple to deliver new AI-powered service experiences to Chinese users.
The dates
- October 31, 2026: Apple's China newsroom and Alibaba (via Xinhua) announce the partnership.
- November 4, 2026: Apple says testing opens through the latest iOS developer beta. Euronews says the trial started on Wednesday, November 4.
- November 3, 2026: MacRumors, in an article dated that day, said select features are in the iOS 27.3 beta and that developers in China can turn on Apple Intelligence. The outlets differ by one day. This post uses Apple's date.
- December 2026: Apple says the features launch for users in China with iOS 27.3. Apple gives no day.
What you can get, and what you cannot
Euronews says the trial is limited to developers for now. Apple says the first features are for supported iPhones, and that support for other platforms comes after it gets the necessary approvals.
Apple lists these supported devices: iPhone 16 and later, iPhone Duo, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone Air. A footnote says Siri and the device language must both be set to English and Chinese (Simplified).
Apple lists 18 features, including Live Translation, Clean Up in Photos, Genmoji and Mail summaries. Only two of the 18 bullets name Qwen:
- Siri can connect to Qwen for certain requests. Users can ask about photos and about documents, including PDFs and presentations. Apple says users sign in with a Qwen account or with Sign in with Apple.
- In Writing Tools, Qwen can create original content from scratch.
Apple says Apple Intelligence is powered by generative models built by Apple. The sources do not say that Qwen runs the other 16 features.
The release does not include Siri AI or the other next-generation Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC 2026. MacRumors says the same. See the llms.blog guide to Apple Intelligence features.
Terms Alibaba states
Xinhua reports these terms from Alibaba. The sources include no independent check of them.
- Users choose whether to enable Qwen and what information to share.
- Alibaba said it will not use user requests or generated responses for model training.
- The feature is available to users who buy an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone in China, or whose device location and Apple Account country or region are both China.
Why it matters
Wang Xiaojie, an AI expert at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, said this is the first time a top global consumer hardware maker has used a Chinese large model as the primary system-level AI backbone in the Chinese market. Xinhua attributes that view to him. It is an opinion. Apple's own release describes Qwen as added support in some experiences.
Euronews says Apple's launch was held up by China's rules on generative AI, and that Google and OpenAI, whose models Apple uses elsewhere, are not available there. Xinhua reports that China's cyberspace authority completed filing of seven on-device generative AI services for smartphones in July, including Apple Intelligence. Euronews says Apple only received approval in July and reportedly held talks with Alibaba, Baidu, ByteDance and Tencent. Apple's release does not mention those talks.
What analysts say
Euronews and AFP quote these views. They are opinions, not facts:
- Ivan Lam of Counterpoint Research said the move "fills a long-standing gap in Apple's AI offering", but does not necessarily give Apple "a significant advantage" in a crowded market.
- Zhang Yi, founder of research firm iiMedia, told AFP that relying on local partners "signifies a structural concession by Apple regarding its pricing and defining power over the AI experience in the Chinese market".
- Omdia says more than 110 million iPhones in China can run Apple Intelligence, per Euronews.
Euronews also reports that Apple's Greater China revenue rose 21% last quarter. It does not link that growth to this launch.
What is still open
- The exact public release day. Apple says December.
- The Qwen model. Apple, Xinhua, MacRumors and Euronews do not name which Qwen model or version is used.
- Siri AI and the other WWDC 2026 features. Apple gives no timeline for China.
For background on Qwen and its peers, see the llms.blog explainer on China's AI labs. For Alibaba's remarks on its next model, see the post on Qwen4 and Alibaba in Amsterdam.
Sources
- Apple China newsroom, "Apple Intelligence is coming to China" (Chinese), October 31, 2026
- Xinhua, "Alibaba's Qwen AI model to integrate into Apple Intelligence in landmark partnership", November 1, 2026 (Hangzhou dateline October 31)
- MacRumors, "iOS 27.3 Beta Brings Apple Intelligence to China", November 3, 2026
- Euronews, "Apple begins AI trial in China, powered by Alibaba", November 4, 2026
