Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba’s Qwen AI

In Brief Posted: 8:29 AM PDT · July 15, 2026 Image Credits:Apple (event screenshot) Sarah Perez Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba’s Qwen AI Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker’s generative AI offering, is coming to China. On Wednesday, Reuters reported that China’s…

In Brief Posted: 8:29 AM PDT · July 15, 2026 Image Credits:Apple (event screenshot) Sarah Perez Apple Intelligence approved for launch in China with Alibaba’s Qwen AI Apple Intelligence, the iPhone maker’s generative AI offering, is coming to China. On Wednesday, Reuters reported that China’s regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China, approved Apple’s AI services in the country, on the back of a deal to integrate Alibaba’s Qwen AI model into Apple’s operating systems, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and visionOS. The deal, which was rumored to be in the works last year, marks an important step for Apple’s AI ambitions in a key market. In the second quarter, Apple sales in Greater China increased 28% to $20.5 billion. Apple also recently regained the No. 2 position in China’s smartphone market after a recent shopping festival offered discounts on the iPhone lineup. Prior to working with Alibaba, Apple was reportedly exploring a deal with Baidu but faced issues adapting its models for Chinese customers. It also explored integrations with DeepSeek and with models from ByteDance, reports claimed. This led to delays in getting Apple Intelligence features, which debuted in 2024, to the Chinese market. Alibaba confirmed the company’s news to CNBC in a statement, saying that Qwen would be “integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences,” but did not provide a timeframe. It also said the integrations would involve AI capabilities like “text and image understanding and generation.” U.S. shares of Alibaba rose 4% in pre-market trading on news of the deal and are now up by over 6%, as of the time of publication. Topics AI, alibaba, Apple, Apple Intelligence, qwen November 4 Boston Last chance to save up to $190 on TechCrunch Founder Summit. Join 1,000+ founders and VCs at all stages for real-world scaling insights and connections that move the needle.Savings end June 26, 11:59 p.m. PT. REGISTER NOW Newsletters See More Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news TechCrunch Daily News Every weekday and Sunday, you can get the best of TechCrunch’s coverage. TechCrunch Mobility TechCrunch Mobility is your destination for transportation news and insight. Startups Weekly Startups are the core of TechCrunch, so get our best coverage delivered weekly. StrictlyVC Provides movers and shakers with the info they need to start their day. No newsletters selected. Subscribe By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. Related Hardware India bets billions on breaking China’s grip on smartphone manufacturing Jagmeet Singh 7 hours ago AI OpenAI pushes back on Apple trade secret lawsuit Kirsten Korosec 24 hours ago AI Apple opens its new Siri AI to everyone with the iOS 27 public beta Sarah Perez 1 day ago Latest in AI AI Amid hardware legal battle, OpenAI releases a $230 keyboard for Codex Lucas Ropek 2 hours ago Space SpaceX falls to $135 IPO price ahead of Starship launch Sean O'Kane 4 hours ago AI Thinking Machines amps up its bet against one-size-fits-all AI with its first open model, Inkling Connie Loizos 4 hours ago

Source: TechCrunch — Published July 15, 2026 at 15:29 UTC — Category: Business