After a Two-Year Wait, Apple AI for China Finally Receives Its "Pass"!

Apple has finally taken a crucial step in advancing its artificial intelligence business in China.

On July 15, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced that seven mobile-side generative AI services had completed their filings. Among them, "Apple Intelligence," filed by Apple Technology Development (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., officially passed the filing on July 8, applicable to Apple iPhones. This marks the crossing of the most critical regulatory threshold for Apple's long-standing domestic AI compliance issues, bringing the China-specific version of Apple Intelligence one step closer to its official launch.

However, completing the filing does not mean immediate commercial availability. On the same day, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman revealed that the beta version of Apple Intelligence for iPhone users in mainland China was briefly accessible for about an hour before being quickly withdrawn by the company, indicating that the product still requires final compliance and technical adjustments before its official release.

For Apple, AI features are widely regarded as a key lever to enhance the competitiveness of new devices. The approval of this filing signifies a substantial breakthrough in the rollout of Apple's AI in China after nearly two years of waiting.

China-Specific Apple Intelligence Completes Filing

According to the CAC announcement, a total of seven mobile-side generative AI services completed their filings, with "Apple Intelligence" included in the list.

Under the "Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services," generative AI products must complete filing before providing services to the public. Therefore, this approval means Apple has obtained the important regulatory qualification required for an official launch, clearing a key obstacle for subsequently opening up features to consumers.

Information released by the Shanghai CAC on the same day showed that as of July 15, a cumulative total of 171 generative AI services had completed filing in Shanghai.

Notably, reports indicate that Alibaba is among Apple's partners for its AI services in China. Previously, Joe Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group, publicly stated that Apple communicated with multiple Chinese companies and ultimately chose to collaborate with Alibaba to provide AI capability support for Chinese users.

Beta Version Makes Surprise Appearance, Then Quickly Goes Offline

On the day the filing news was announced, Apple also experienced an "accidental leak."

According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple recently briefly pushed the Apple Intelligence Beta version to some iPhone users in mainland China, which was urgently shut down after being open for about an hour. Currently, users who successfully activated the feature can continue to use it, while the vast majority of users are no longer able to activate it.

Gurman stated that this push was not coordinated with the first beta version of iOS 26.5 released on the same day, nor was it part of the official launch plan. It appeared more like a test that was opened early and then quickly retracted.

Based on feedback from users who have experienced the feature, the China-specific Apple Intelligence requires iOS 26.4 or later, paired with iPhone 15 Pro series models or newer, and logging in with a China-region Apple ID. After initial activation, the system downloads approximately 9.5GB of local models. Currently available features include real-time translation, Visual Intelligence, photo object removal, writing tools, and AI image generation.

Why Has It Not Officially Launched Yet?

Although the filing is complete, Apple still faces one final hurdle before its official release.

Reports indicate that some image recognition features in the China-specific version of Apple Intelligence still rely on Google's reverse image search. Since Google-related services cannot be used normally in mainland China, this technical solution requires further adjustment to meet local regulatory requirements.

In addition, the China-specific version of Apple Intelligence adopts a localized solution. Industry consensus holds that its core large language model capabilities mainly come from domestic partners, and certain AI capabilities relied upon in the overseas version also need to be locally replaced and adapted.

Therefore, while the completion of the filing means the regulatory "entry permit" has been secured, Apple still needs to complete final product optimization and compliance adjustments before officially opening the service to all users of China-specific iPhones.

Apple's China AI Enters Final Sprint

Apple Intelligence was initially released at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). However, due to regulatory and localization reasons, it has not launched simultaneously in the Chinese market. Compared to overseas users, customers of China-specific iPhones have been waiting for nearly two years.

For Apple, China is not only one of the most important smartphone markets globally but also an indispensable part of its AI strategy. With the completion of regulatory filings and the gradual implementation of local partnership solutions, the comprehensive launch of Apple Intelligence in China has entered its final sprint phase.

However, as of now, Apple has not announced the official release date for the China-specific Apple Intelligence. Mark Gurman also stated that Apple currently has no public release schedule, and further waiting is required for the completion of final technical and compliance preparations before full commercial availability.