Apple has announced the start of testing for the Apple Intelligence feature in mainland China, beginning on November 4. This launch will integrate Alibaba's Qwen model into components such as Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence.
These new capabilities will initially be available as a beta version for iOS developers before being released more widely with the iOS 27.3 update in December, as Apple stated on October 31.
Users will be able to ask the Qwen model questions about texts, images, and documents directly through Apple's system functions. Access can be gained by logging in with a Qwen account or using the 'Sign in with Apple' feature. Additionally, Writing Tools will gain the ability to generate original content using Qwen.
The initial implementation phase includes support for live translation, photo cleanup, Genmoji generation, natural language image search, and creating summaries of messages, notifications, and recorded conversations. Support for other Apple platforms will follow after obtaining the necessary permissions. [Apple, in Chinese]