Apple Intelligence looks close to finally reaching mainland China. Records from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology show the China-market iPhone Duo (model A3721) got a renewed network access license on September 29 that adds filing numbers for three AI models: Apple Intelligence, Alibaba's Qwen language models (Tongyi Qianwen), and Alibaba's Tongyi Wanxiang image and video generator, Engadget reports, citing the Alibaba-owned South China Morning Post. Engadget says the updated filings also cover the iPhone 18 Pro.
China's internet regulator registered Apple Intelligence back in July, and Alibaba said at the time that Qwen would be built into Apple Intelligence on iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS for users in China, Reuters reported. Apple still hasn't switched it on for the mainland, and it hasn't announced a date.
The timing matters for the Duo. Pre-orders open Friday and the phone goes on sale October 23, with the new Siri as one of its headline features. Selling a flagship foldable in China without the AI features it's marketed on would be a tough pitch, so these filings are the clearest sign yet that the wait is nearly over.
— via Engadget