Apple Intelligence in China: Alibaba's Qwen Integrated into Apple Ecosystem, Testing Opens November 4

Apple announced on October 31 that it will open testing of core Apple Intelligence features on November 4 for users of models including the iPhone 18 Pro in China, with an official launch in the iOS 27.3 update scheduled for December. Apple explicitly stated that it will use Alibaba's Qwen in three types of experiences: Siri, Writing Tools, and Visual Intelligence, involving text and image understanding; Siri will access Qwen when "handling specific requests," Writing Tools will allow Qwen to create original content from scratch, and Visual Intelligence will be used for question-and-answer about objects and places in camera scenarios.