Apple Intelligence Accidentally Goes Live in China Before Regulatory Approval

Apple accidentally started rolling out Apple Intelligence features in China before receiving regulatory approval, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

Some Chinese users began seeing ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features listed as available and active in the Settings app on their iPhones, but Apple made no formal announcement. Gurman says that Apple is not planning to launch the feature imminently, and that its availability was a mistake. Apple has since removed the ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features.

Gurman claims that Apple would not launch AI features in China without an announcement, nor would it launch AI in China in the middle of the night local time. The feature also currently uses Google reverse image search, and Google is banned in China.

Apple has not been able to launch ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in China because the country restricts foreign AI technology. Apple is partnering with Alibaba to power ‌Apple Intelligence‌ capabilities, but Apple needs regulatory approval from China's Cyberspace Administration (CAC). The CAC has to test and approve all AI models before AI services are able to launch in China, and there have been ongoing delays with that process.

It is unclear when ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features will come to China, but Apple is eager to launch in the country. Chinese smartphone makers like Huawei and Xiaomi have a variety of AI features available to customers, which puts Apple far behind in the AI race.