China permits list Alibaba AI models for Apple Intelligence

The South China Morning Post reports that China approved Alibaba’s AI models for integration into several Apple handsets, including the iPhone Duo.[1] Updated network access permits from China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology list Apple Intelligence alongside Alibaba’s Tongyi Qianwen and Tongyi Wanxiang.[1] The permits cover the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and several earlier Apple models.[1] The Paper says the China-market iPhone Duo model A3721 completed a permit renewal on September 29, and that its filing added registration numbers for all three AI models.[2]

Alibaba says Qwen will be integrated as an AI capability in Apple Intelligence for users of iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS in China.[2] The company says users will be able to access Qwen’s text and image understanding and content-generation capabilities on Apple devices without switching apps.[2] Tongyi Qianwen, also known as Qwen, is a family of large language models developed by Alibaba Cloud; Tongyi Wanxiang specializes in AI text-to-image and video generation.[1] The statements describe intended capabilities, not a confirmed mainland launch date for Apple Intelligence.

The Paper reported that iPhone Duo preorders in China were scheduled to open at 8 p.m. on October 16, with sales beginning October 23.[2] It described the iPhone Duo as Apple’s first foldable phone.[2] The Paper put its starting price at 15,999 yuan.[2] A separate listing gives four storage configurations—256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB—and prices ranging from 15,999 to 26,499 yuan.[4] The Paper lists Apple-compatible phones as all iPhone 16 models and later, plus iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max and iPhone Air.[2]

The South China Morning Post described the approval as clearing a key regulatory hurdle for Apple Intelligence’s long-delayed China launch.[1] Engadget reported that Apple Intelligence had not yet launched in mainland China, despite launching nearly two years earlier, and that Apple had received clearance to roll it out there in July but had not done so.[3] Engadget attributed the delay to mainland China’s AI and privacy laws.[3] Apple Intelligence features were already available in Hong Kong, according to Engadget.[3] The permit news therefore should not be read as confirmation that the service is live in mainland China.