After months of regulatory and geopolitical setbacks, Apple can potentially be getting ready to launch its artificial intelligence platform, Apple Intelligence, in China. Reported by 9To5Mac, Bloomberg News author Mark Gurman, the company is intending to release the features before the end of 2025, presumably as part of iOS 26.1 or iOS 26.2.
Apple first launched Apple Intelligence in 2024, and has since been working to expand access to the Chinese market, the largest in the world in smartphone numbers. The way has not been smooth though.
The report includes that the Chinese laws stipulate that any company that introduces tools of generative AI must obtain the consent of domestic authorities. In order to oblige, Apple forged a partnership with Alibaba earlier this year, a deal which Alibaba Group chairman Joe Tsai publicly confirmed.
Apple hoped to launch the service by mid-2025, but approval was stalled amid ongoing trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. The delay coincided with unease in the United States, where lawmakers raised concerns about Apple’s reliance on a company with close ties to the Chinese government, noted the report.
The timing of Apple’s new push is significant, with the iPhone maker set to unveil its iPhone 17 line-up at its “Awe Dropping” event this week. Executives reportedly see Apple Intelligence as a central selling point for the new devices.
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China remains the only major market without Apple Intelligence, a gap analysts say has dented Apple’s sales in the country. Chief executive Tim Cook has previously acknowledged the absence of these features as a factor in weaker iPhone performance in the region.
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Bringing Apple Intelligence to China would not only give Apple a crucial foothold in the fast-evolving AI sector but could also help stabilize its standing in one of its most strategically important markets.