Users in China were excited to see Apple Intelligence live on their iPhones and iPads. Here’s the thing – it wasn’t supposed to launch.
According to Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman, the AI-powered features launched in “error.” It claims Apple Intelligence has been ready for a Chinese rollout for months.
The hang-up seems to be bureaucratic. Apple does not yet have regulatory approval in China, since it will need to partner with companies like Alibaba to power AI features in the country. As a result, it has taken Apple Intelligence offline for those in mainland China.
Apple Intelligence first launched in October 2024 in the U.S. Since then, the suite of AI tools added support for languages other than English, such as French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese (simplified).
Geographic availability is a different matter. Apple Intelligence eventually expanded to European Union users throughout 2025, but those in mainland China remain high and dry.
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