Apple Secures China Approval to Power iPhones With Baidu and Alibaba AI

Apple Secures China Approval to Power iPhones With Baidu and Alibaba AI

Quick Read

• Apple has secured the long-awaited Apple Intelligence China approval from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), clearing the final hurdle to bring generative AI features to iPhones in the country.

• To meet local regulations, Apple is partnering with two of China’s biggest tech players Alibaba, whose Qwen model will power text and image generation, and Baidu, which will support search-related AI functions.

• The approval granted alongside similar licenses for Huawei, Xiaomi, and Samsung, and comes as Apple’s shipments in China have been climbing. No official launch date announced yet.

After two years of regulatory limbo, the Apple Intelligence China approval has finally landed. China’s Cyberspace Administration published a notice confirming that Apple’s AI suite covering writing tools, image generation, notification summaries, and more now cleared for release on iPhones in the country, alongside six other smartphone AI services, including offerings from Huawei, Xiaomi, and Samsung.

Chinese regulators have granted Apple a long-awaited licence to roll out its artificial intelligence service on iPhones in the country, with Alibaba Group Holding and Baidu serving as technical partners. This partnership structure is central to the story, since Apple cannot operate large language models in China without local compliance partners.

Alibaba confirmed its role directly, with a representative telling the South China Morning Post that its Qwen large-language model would be integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences within iOS, iPadOS, macOS and visionOS for users in China, giving users access to text and image generation features. Baidu, meanwhile, is working with Apple to develop Apple Intelligence features for Chinese iPhone users, though the exact division of labor between the two companies hasn’t been spelled out publicly.

Apple Intelligence

Notably, this Apple Intelligence China approval only applies to iPhones for now Apple Intelligence’s pass in China only covers iPhones, meaning Chinese iPads, Macs, and Vision Pro headsets are still missing out on the feature.

The timing matters strategically. Apple’s shipments in China rose 24.4% year over year during the second quarter, and rolling out AI features could help sustain that momentum as domestic rivals continue pushing their own AI-powered devices. The market reacted quickly too Alibaba’s American depositary receipts surged as much as 7.9 percent following the market opening in New York, while Baidu’s ADRs rose up to 4 percent.

There’s also a leadership backdrop worth noting. Tim Cook, who is preparing to hand over the CEO role to John Ternus in September, has continued strengthening his relationship with Beijing, including a business delegation trip earlier this year. Separately, Apple is reportedly working on a next-generation Siri built on new foundation models, but that upgrade still needs further sign-off from Chinese regulators before it can launch.

No official rollout date confirmed yet both Apple and Chinese regulators have stayed quiet on timing. But with the regulatory wall now down, the Apple Intelligence China approval marks Apple’s most significant AI milestone in its second-largest market to date.