Apple Intelligence in China will run on Alibaba's Qwen
On 31 October 2026, Alibaba announced that its Qwen AI model will be built into Apple Intelligence for users in China. Qwen will work through Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence. Developers can test it in the iOS beta from 4 November, and Alibaba says it reaches Chinese users with iOS 27.3 in December.
The short version
- 01Alibaba announced a partnership to bring its Qwen AI model into Apple Intelligence.
- 02Qwen will work through Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence.
- 03Testing starts in the iOS developer beta on 4 November, and the full rollout comes with iOS 27.3 in December, Alibaba says.
- 04Users choose whether to switch Qwen on and what information to share.
- 05Alibaba says it will not use users' requests or generated answers to train its model.
At a glance
| Who | Alibaba and Apple |
|---|---|
| Announced | 31 October 2026 |
| Model | Qwen |
| Where it works | Siri, Writing Tools, Visual Intelligence |
| Beta | From 4 November 2026, in the iOS developer beta |
| Rollout | iOS 27.3, December 2026, per Alibaba |
| Who gets it | iPhones bought in China, or set to China |
| Status | Confirmed |
What did Alibaba announce?
On Saturday, 31 October 2026, Chinese tech company Alibaba announced a partnership with Apple. Its AI model, Qwen, will be built into Apple Intelligence, Apple's AI system, for users in China.
Xinhua, which reported the announcement, quotes Alibaba's chief executive Eddie Wu. He said Qwen will integrate into Apple's ecosystem and work with Apple to deliver new AI-powered service experiences to Chinese users.
What will Qwen do on the iPhone?
Through Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence, Chinese users will be able to use Qwen for text and image understanding and for generating content.
Qwen is the family of AI models made by Alibaba. It also has its own chat app.
When does it start, and who gets it?
Alibaba says the Qwen-powered feature will be available for testing in the latest iOS developer beta starting 4 November. It then rolls out to Chinese users with the official iOS 27.3 release in December.
It will be available on iOS to people who buy an Apple Intelligence-capable iPhone in China, or whose device location and Apple Account country or region are both set to China.
Can you control what Qwen sees?
Users can choose whether to enable the Qwen integration and what information to share. Alibaba said it will not use user requests or generated responses for model training.
Why does it matter?
Chinese iPhone owners will use a Chinese AI model inside the phone's own assistant tools. Wang Xiaojie, an AI expert at Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, told Xinhua it is the first time a top global consumer hardware maker has used a Chinese large model as its primary system-level AI backbone in the Chinese market.
Xinhua also notes that in July, China's cyberspace authority completed the filing of seven on-device generative AI services for smartphones, including Apple Intelligence.
What's next?
Testing starts on 4 November in the iOS developer beta. The full rollout is planned for December with iOS 27.3.
Questions people ask
Which AI model will Apple Intelligence use in China?
Alibaba's Qwen, according to Alibaba's announcement on 31 October 2026.
Where will Qwen work on the iPhone?
Through Siri, Writing Tools and Visual Intelligence, for text and image understanding and content generation.
When does it start?
Developers can test it in the iOS beta from 4 November. Alibaba says it reaches Chinese users with iOS 27.3 in December.
Can I turn it off?
Users can choose whether to enable the Qwen integration and what information to share.
Will Alibaba train Qwen on my requests?
Alibaba said it will not use user requests or generated responses for model training.
Sources
- PrimaryXinhua: Alibaba's Qwen AI model to integrate into Apple Intelligence in landmark partnership (31 Oct 2026, reporting Alibaba's announcement)
- CoverageCGTN: Alibaba's Qwen to integrate into Apple Intelligence in landmark deal (31 Oct 2026)
Why "Confirmed"? We label a story "Confirmed" when the company or government announced it itself. Spotted an error? Email hello@openloopnews.com and we will correct it.
