Hands-on with 7 Apple Intelligence features in China: Siri connects to Qwen

This time, you absolutely have to use Apple Intelligence!

After waiting and waiting, Apple Intelligence is finally available to mainland China iPhones.

Just now, the first batch of core Apple Intelligence features opened for testing with the iOS 27.3 developer beta.

This time the features are split into two parts: real-time translation, summaries, photo eraser and other features use Apple's own on-device models, while the other part comes from Apple's partnership with Alibaba, allowing Qwen to be invoked in Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence. The update does not include Siri AI, nor the other next-generation Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC 2026, and other platforms like iPad and Mac will have to wait a bit longer.

01●

Requirements

A quick look at the requirements: the iPhone 15 Pro series and iPhone 16 series and later models can update and use it.

02●

Siri and Qwen

Siri has a brand-new look; when woken, a ring of colorful glow lights up around the edges of the screen, and when it's inconvenient to speak, you can double-tap the bottom of the screen to type.

When it runs into a question it can't answer itself, Siri will choose to hand it over to Qwen, with the answer displayed in the dialog box.

I asked Siri why clothes hung outside in winter freeze into ice but still end up drying. Siri on iOS 26.2 just dumbly searches the web, while Apple Intelligence on the iOS 27.3 Beta can give the answer directly in the dialog box.

As of before the video was published, Siri could not invoke the Qwen app to carry a task through; even after downloading the Qwen app and logging in with the same account, it still failed.

Siri can also recognize the current screen. Wake Siri and ask it to identify a brand and model, and it will invoke Qwen and search, and the recognition results are quite accurate.

03●

Visual Intelligence

Visual Intelligence can be opened by long-pressing the camera button, the Action button or from Control Center, to search, ask questions about and perform actions on things around you, and it can also extract summaries from content you're browsing.

04●

Writing Tools

Writing Tools is a system-level feature that can proofread and rewrite, switch between three tones—Friendly, Formal and Concise—and also let you describe your own edits.

Here is a notice with 3 typos; using Writing Tools to proofread, all the errors were accurately identified, and then I chose the "Friendly" tone to rewrite, and it handled it quite well, adding a little emoji.

Writing Tools also integrates Qwen creation, which can generate text around any topic, though the entry point could be optimized—right now you have to tap through several layers to reach the input window.

The good news is that Writing Tools isn't only usable in Notes; it also works in WeChat, and can be brought up in the input fields of all kinds of apps.

05●

Image Generation

Qwen creation can also generate images—just describe the scene you want directly in Writing Tools.

Image Playground can generate new emoji from text descriptions and can also mix and match existing emoji.

06●

Photos

The eraser feature can remove passersby and clutter from a picture; it's right in the album's edit section, and the results are just so-so—slightly more complex cutouts will stutter and crash.

Memory movies only need a description entered, and Apple Intelligence will pick out matching photos and videos and arrange them into a short film by theme.

07●

Live Translation

Live Translation is integrated into three apps: Messages, FaceTime calls and Phone. Text sent and received in Messages is translated automatically, supporting more than a dozen languages including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, French and German.

FaceTime calls show live translated subtitles, and the Phone app provides voice translation during calls.

Wearing supported AirPods, when chatting face to face you can also hear the translation of the other person's speech directly in the earbuds.

The earbud translation effect is stunning: pinch both earbud stems at the same time to enable live translation, and when a fast-paced English interview video was played, the Chinese translation was quickly interpreted into the earbuds.

08●

Smart Summaries

Priority notifications stack important notifications at the top in summary form, and a long string of group messages is also condensed into a single summary; the Reduce Interruptions focus only lets through reminders that need timely handling.

Notification summaries must first be enabled in "Settings" > "Notifications" for first use, but I tried many times and couldn't get it to trigger.

The Mail app pins time-sensitive emails to the top, such as invitations with same-day deadlines and check-in reminders for afternoon flights; long emails show a summary right in the list, and Smart Reply can be used when replying.

Recordings in Notes and call recordings in the Phone app can both be transcribed into text and summarized.

Indeed. What's offered this time is the first batch of core features and the Qwen integration, not including Siri AI, nor the other next-generation Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC 2026. With Qwen connected, Siri can extend its capabilities to Q&A, reading files and looking at images, overall getting closer to the version of Apple Intelligence unveiled at WWDC24.

As of now, Apple has not announced a launch date for Siri AI in mainland China.

Do I have to download the Qwen app to use it?

No. Real-time translation, summaries, photo eraser and other features are provided by Apple's own models and don't require the Qwen app.

For Qwen in Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence, enable the integration in Settings, then log in to a Qwen account or use "Sign in with Apple" to use it. If you've downloaded the Qwen app, all records of questions that invoked Qwen can be viewed in the Qwen app under the same account.

Will my questions, photos and files all be sent to Alibaba?

The Qwen integration must be enabled by your own choice; after enabling, each time a question, document or image is sent to Qwen, the system will pop up a window to ask for consent. Alibaba says users' requests and generated replies will not be used for model training.

Features like real-time translation, various summaries and "eraser" use Apple's own on-device models.

The Qwen integration is for iPhones purchased in mainland China, or for users whose device location and Apple Account country/region are both set to China. A foreign-version iPhone in China with the account switched to the China region can use it.

Does Qwen cost extra?

In the information announced so far there is no mention of charges, and in daily use so far I haven't run into any limits.

Is the Beta stable now, and can I roll back after upgrading?

The developer Beta is for developers to adapt ahead of time, so bugs are inevitable, and battery life and heat may not be as good as the official release.

Those who have already upgraded and want to roll back to the old system need to connect to a computer to restore, so be sure to back up before upgrading.

10●

Summary

This time we finally got to use Apple Intelligence, but it's more disappointment than anything. After preparing for so long, what's delivered looks like a hastily assembled half-finished product, and the first batch of features is neither here nor there—there's still a big gap compared with Honor YOYO, OPPO Breeno and Huawei Celia of the same period.

It's still a beta right now, and in actual use you'll run into many bugs, such as messed-up UI display, inability to use audio-to-text, and frequent stuttering and crashes.

If you have a spare phone, or have already installed the developer version, you can give it a try. If it's your main phone or you're still on the official release, it's advisable to wait and see; the official iOS 27.3 update will bring more stable Apple Intelligence.

I hope the mainland China system will soon get the "full-power" Siri AI, so that the ring of colorful glow around the screen turns into a liquid glass window sliding down from the Dynamic Island.