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China approves Alibaba AI models for use in iPhone Duo and other Apple handsets

Scmp • October 15, 2026

The approval paves the way for Apple to finally launch Apple Intelligence in China after years of regulatory delays

China has granted approval for Alibaba Group Holding’s artificial intelligence models to be integrated into several Apple handsets, including the new iPhone Duo, in the Chinese market, clearing a key regulatory hurdle for the long-delayed launch of Apple Intelligence in the country.

Updated network access permits for the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and several earlier Apple models from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology now include three approved AI systems: Apple Intelligence alongside Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen and Tongyi Wanxiang.

Tongyi Qianwen, also known as Qwen, is a family of large language models developed by Alibaba Cloud, while Tongyi Wanxiang specialises in AI text-to-image and video generation. Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post.

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China Approves Alibaba AI for Apple Intelligence Launch China has approved the integration of Alibaba's AI models into Apple devices, including the iPhone Duo, facilitating the launch of Apple Intelligence in December 2026. This approval follows years of regulatory delays and allows Apple to use Alibaba's Tongyi Qianwen and Tongyi Wanxiang AI systems. However, the launch will not include Apple's Siri AI assistant or certain features, which may limit its appeal to Chinese consumers. The approval was confirmed by the South China Morning Post and Bloomberg, indicating that Apple had to make concessions to comply with local regulations. The initial rollout will include features like Genmoji and AI-powered notification summaries, but will lack in-house image generation tools. The regulatory approval was granted on September 29, 2026, allowing recent iPhones to support these AI models. The effectiveness of Apple Intelligence in a competitive market remains uncertain. 2 sources 32

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China approves Alibaba AI models for use in iPhone Duo and other Apple handsets

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