Apple Intelligence Coming to China in December With iOS 27.3

Apple Intelligence will launch in China in December with iOS 27.3, Apple has announced. Testing of the first features will begin November 4 through the latest iOS developer beta, bringing tools such as Live Translation, Clean Up, and Writing Tools to compatible iPhones.

The initial rollout is limited to iPhone. Support for other platforms will follow once the necessary approvals are obtained, and this release will not include Siri AI or the other next-generation Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC 2026.

Apple is working with Alibaba to integrate Qwen into Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence. Users will be able to ask questions about photos and documents, including PDFs and presentations, and use Compose in Writing Tools to generate original content. Qwen access will support signing into a Qwen account or using Sign in with Apple.

Siri will also gain Type to Siri, better handling of requests when users stumble over their words, and the ability to keep track of context during follow-up questions. The broader system combines Apple's own generative models with the Qwen integration for selected experiences.

Live Translation will work in Messages, FaceTime, and Phone, with supported AirPods providing translation for face-to-face conversations. AirPods support includes AirPods 5, AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, AirPods Pro 2 and later, and AirPods Max 2, running the latest firmware and paired with an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone.

The first release also includes rewriting, proofreading, and text summaries in Writing Tools, camera-based Visual Intelligence, and Genmoji. In Photos, Clean Up removes distracting objects, natural-language search helps find pictures and videos, and users can create Memory movies from a description.

Mail gains priority messages, email summaries, and Smart Reply, which is also available in Messages. Notification summaries, Priority Notifications, and the Reduce Interruptions Focus mode help surface important alerts. Summaries of audio transcripts in Notes and recorded phone calls are included as well.

Compatible devices include iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 and later, iPhone Air, and iPhone Duo. Both the device language and Siri language must be set to English or Simplified Chinese. Some features may vary by language or region.

The announcement confirms the December launch window reported earlier this month. Apple Intelligence was registered for public use in China in July following earlier delays to the rollout.