Oops! Apple accidentally rolled out Apple Intelligence features in China before receiving regulatory approval, according to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.
“Apple Intelligence launched in China in error – it’s been ready to go for months but Apple doesn’t yet have regulatory approval,” he says in an X post. “There’s no imminent launch and this isn’t tied to the iOS 26.5 beta. Apple has pulled it offline.”
In February 2025 9to5Mac reported that Apple had officially partnered with Alibaba to bring Apple Intelligence features to the iPhone in China, reports. Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai confirmed the deal.
Apple Intelligence in China will rely on Alibaba’s Qwen model, satisfying the Chinese government’s preference for a China-based AI model. Alibaba is one of the world’s largest retailers and e-commerce companies. In 2020, it was also rated as the fifth-largest artificial intelligence company. The article says Apple and Alibaba have submitted the co-developed AI features for regulatory approval, with the hope that they can be brought to iPhones in a future iOS update.
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