China

Apple is preparing to bring support for its digital car key feature to select Audi vehicles in China, based on evidence uncovered by MacRumors on Apple's backend. Specifically, the car key support relates to Audi's partnership with Chinese company FAW, which manufactures and sells Audi vehicles in the Chinese market. The joint venture produces both combustion engine and all-electric...

Apple's iPhone 17 lineup was the clear driver of smartphone growth during China's "Singles Day" shopping festival, according to new industry data. Apple was the top-selling smartphone brand throughout this year's month-long Singles Day period in China, accounting for 26% of all smartphone sales, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research shared by Reuters. Overall smartphone sales...

Apple may be getting closer to bringing Apple Intelligence to China, based on an ‌Apple Intelligence‌ feedback form that recently launched on the company's website. The form requires a +86 telephone number for feedback to be submitted, which suggests that it is designed for Apple users located in China rather than those who simply speak Chinese. The site is designed to allow customers to...

Huawei's just-announced Mate 80 lineup is attracting attention in China today thanks to a display spec that easily sees off the competition in the premium smartphone segment. The company claims the OLED panels in its latest phones can reach up to 8,000 nits of peak brightness – a figure that, if independently verified, would make the Mate 80 series the brightest smartphones on the market. ...

Apple had a bumper month for iPhone sales in China in October, with sales jumping 37% compared to a year earlier on strong demand for iPhone 17 models, according to data from research firm Counterpoint. One in every four smartphones sold in the country for the month was an iPhone – a market share milestone Apple hasn't achieved since 2022, when there were fewer rivals in the premium...

Apple has reached a new agreement with Tencent that will allow the company to process payments and collect a 15% commission on purchases made inside WeChat mini games and mini apps on the iPhone, establishing a major new revenue stream in China after over a year of negotiations, according to Bloomberg. Under the arrangement, Apple will begin handling in-app payment processing for qualifying...

A law firm in China has filed a new antitrust complaint accusing Apple of abusing its control over iOS app distribution and payments, escalating a dispute that previously failed in civil court by seeking action from state regulators instead, Reuters reports. The new complaint was submitted to the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) on behalf of 55 Chinese iPhone and iPad users. ...

Apple's iPhone Air sold out across online stores in China within hours of pre-orders opening on Friday, the South China Morning Post reports. Demand for the ‌iPhone Air‌ reportedly surged immediately after pre-orders opened. Apple's online store and the official Tmall flagship both listed multiple color and storage configurations as unavailable within the first two hours of availability,...

Apple CEO Tim Cook pledged to expand the company's investments in China during his latest visit to the country, signaling that Apple intends to maintain a strong presence in its most important manufacturing hub even as it continues diversifying production elsewhere, Reuters reports. During meetings with Chinese government officials this week, Cook told China's industry minister Li Lecheng...

The iPhone Air will be available for pre-order in China this Friday, Apple CEO Tim Cook today said on Weibo during a visit to the country. Apple initially postponed the release of the ‌iPhone Air‌ in China while it worked with mainland authorities to resolve regulatory issues related to the device's eSIM requirement. The iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max already went on sale with the global...

Apple has postponed the release of its new iPhone Air in China while it works with mainland authorities to resolve regulatory issues related to the device's eSIM requirement, according to the South China Morning Post. Apple on Friday morning reportedly updated its Chinese website, replacing the original September 12 pre-order and September 19 launch schedule for the iPhone Air with the...

Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on Thursday unveiled its first mixed reality headset, the "Vivo Vision," and the photocopiers in Dongguan appear to have been working overtime. The device "launched" as an in-store experience across mainland China today, featuring design elements that clearly ape Apple's Vision Pro. It's got a curved glass front visor, downward-pointing cameras, removable fabric ...

Apple is testing Douyin Pay support for the App Store in China, according to the South China Morning Post. Douyin Pay launched in January 2021 as a payment feature within Douyin, ByteDance's Chinese short video platform that serves as the domestic counterpart to TikTok. Douyin has approximately 766.5 million monthly active users in China, making it one of the country's most heavily used...

Apple saw its first year-over-year iPhone sales growth in China in two years during the second quarter of 2025, according to new data from Counterpoint Research, marking a temporary reversal of a prolonged decline in one of its most strategically critical markets. The data indicates that ‌iPhone‌ sales in mainland China grew 8% year-over-year between April 1 and June 22, 2025. This period...

Apple's effort to expand iPhone production in India has encountered a setback as Foxconn has recalled hundreds of Chinese engineers and technicians from its Indian factories, Bloomberg reports. According to people familiar with the matter who spoke to Bloomberg, Foxconn has been sending home a large number of Chinese workers previously stationed at its ‌iPhone‌ manufacturing facilities in...

Chinese display manufacturer BOE is aggressively ramping up its OLED production capacity for future iPhone models as part of a plan to recapture a major role in Apple's supply chain. In May 2022, Apple halted BOE's inclusion in the ‌iPhone‌ 13's supply chain after detecting unauthorized design modifications. The crisis began when BOE, facing component shortages and yield issues, expanded...

Apple has joined China's national digital product subsidy program through its own direct sales channels for the first time, enabling eligible customers in Beijing and Shanghai to receive government-backed discounts on select iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Macs (via South China Morning Post). Apple customers in Shanghai can access the subsidies by purchasing qualifying devices in one of...

Apple's efforts to bring Apple Intelligence to the critical Chinese market have been stymied by tension resulting from the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump put in place, reports Financial Times. To deploy ‌Apple Intelligence‌ features in China, Apple is working with Alibaba, and the two companies have not yet received regulatory approval in China for the AI products that Apple wants...

Chinese Apple competitor Xiaomi today announced the "Xring O1," a custom 3nm chip designed to rival Apple silicon (via Bloomberg). The company plans to switch its devices to custom silicon chips, just like Apple. The Xring O1 chip will be included in three devices to begin with, including the Xiaomi Tablet 7 Ultra–a newly announced 14-inch tablet. Like the latest-generation Apple...

The Feiyang Times is an unassuming tower in Shenzhen's Huaqiangbei district, but it has earned the nickname "the stolen iPhone building" in Apple community forums. According to a Financial Times investigation (paywalled), the building has become a major hub in a global network trafficking stolen iPhones. When London tech entrepreneur Sam Amrani had his iPhone 15 Pro snatched by two men on...