Apple Intelligence China Beta Opens on November 4, Integrates Qwen with On-Device Priority

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Sina Digital News, October 31 morning news: Apple recently officially announced that the first batch of Apple Intelligence features will soon land in the Chinese mainland market. The related capabilities will begin testing with the iOS developer Beta version on November 4, and are expected to be made available to domestic iPhone users with the official iOS 27.3 update in December. Notably, Apple has chosen to partner with Alibaba, integrating the Qwen large model in scenarios such as Siri, writing tools, and visual intelligence. This is also an important localization arrangement for Apple Intelligence to adapt to the Chinese market.

According to information disclosed by Apple, the Apple Intelligence launched this time is a generative AI capability deeply embedded in the iOS system, covering a large number of native apps such as Photos, Messages, Mail, Notes, and Siri, and focusing on practical functions such as text processing, image editing, translation, and information summarization. However, this launch version does not include some advanced capabilities such as the next-generation Siri AI announced at WWDC 2026, and versions for other platforms will have to wait for subsequent approval to be completed before being released.

Judging from the feature list, the first batch of Apple Intelligence for domestic users covers multiple everyday scenarios. At the image level, the Photos app adds a Clean Up tool that can remove unwanted distracting objects in the frame; Image Playground supports generating exclusive emoji packs by entering text descriptions; at the same time, the photo library supports natural language search, allowing users to search for photos and videos by entering text descriptions, and can also directly generate memory movies. Visual intelligence on the camera side can use the iPhone camera to identify and parse information about real-world objects and places.

Text and office efficiency tools are the focus of this update. The system-level writing tools support rewriting, proofreading, and text summarization; the Mail app adds priority mail, email summaries, and smart replies, automatically filtering urgent emails and distilling the core content of long emails; Notes and call recordings support audio transcription and automatically generate summaries; the notification system upgrades notification summaries, priority notifications, and Focus mode to reduce interruptions, helping users filter out redundant messages. Siri receives an important upgrade, supporting text input conversations, and can understand incoherent expressions and maintain multi-turn contextual conversation logic.

Translation capabilities have also been greatly enhanced. Live translation connects Messages, FaceTime, and the Phone app, and also adapts to AirPods 4 (ANC version), AirPods Pro 2, and newer headphone hardware, enabling real-time translation of face-to-face conversations and connecting cross-language communication scenarios.

In terms of localization cooperation, in some specific task scenarios, Siri, writing tools, and visual intelligence will call Alibaba's Qwen large model, supporting text creation, image understanding, and Q&A over PDFs and presentation documents. Users can log in to a Qwen account or use "Sign in with Apple" to complete authorization and enable this part of the capabilities, using Qwen to complete complex tasks such as content creation and image-text analysis.

On the device threshold, the first batch of Apple Intelligence only supports some iPhone models: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 and later models, iPhone Duo, and iPhone Air. At the same time, the device and Siri language need to be set to Simplified Chinese + English. The AirPods live translation feature also has clear hardware constraints on headphone models and firmware versions; not all Apple headphones can use all translation capabilities.

Industry analysts said that Apple Intelligence entering China is a landmark event for the localized implementation of generative AI services by a leading overseas smartphone manufacturer. Apple did not directly bring overseas models into China, but adopted a model of self-developed models combined with cooperation with local large models to adapt to the domestic regulatory environment and user needs. However, the first batch of features has device limitations, and some advanced AI capabilities announced at WWDC have not yet been launched. Future market experience will still depend on actual performance after the official version is rolled out, as well as the launch progress on other devices such as iPad and Mac. Statement: Exclusive article from Sina.com, unauthorized reproduction is prohibited. tech_web_article_v2015_block_bottom Non-targeted 300*250 button 17/09 wenjing begin

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