Apple continues its ongoing work to expand its AI capabilities to various regions around the world. A new feedback form recently launched on the company’s website strongly signals that Apple Intelligence technology is closer than ever to entering the Chinese market. To submit feedback, users are asked to enter a phone number with a +86 area code. This specific number requirement clearly indicates that the feature is designed specifically for Apple users residing in China, not just for a general Chinese-speaking audience.
Apple Intelligence and Alibaba Partnership: Are Barriers Easing for China?
This dedicated website aims to provide customers with direct feedback to Apple on the content quality, privacy standards, and overall functionality of their AI experiences. Through this form, users can share their feedback on critical features such as Writing Tools, the Clean Up tool for removing objects in the Photos app, notification summaries, and the Reduce Interruptions focus mode. Prioritized messages in Mail and Messages, smart replies, Safari summaries, and audio summaries in the Notes app are also included in the feedback.
Currently, no Apple Intelligence features are actively available within China. Apple has been working diligently since the launch of iOS 18 to expand its AI ecosystem to this large market. However, to offer these features to users in China, the company is required by legal regulations to partner with a Chinese AI company.
In line with this requirement, Apple is reportedly collaborating with tech giant Alibaba to provide AI infrastructure and functionality. The rollout of this feature set was delayed in June due to ongoing trade disputes between the United States and China. However, the trade and tariff ceasefire reached between the two countries since then suggests that the legal and bureaucratic hurdles facing Apple may soon be lifted.
With the iOS version scheduled for release before the end of the year, which will be the last major update of the year, support is likely to be officially available if Apple can secure the necessary approvals from the Chinese government. However, there is no concrete indication of Chinese support in the beta versions released so far. While the process is ongoing, neither Apple nor Alibaba have yet shared a potential release date.
What are your thoughts on Apple being forced to partner with local tech giants in different countries due to regulatory and data security laws?
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