Apple Intelligence for mainland China has finally arrived after a long wait, with the iOS 27.3 developer beta rolling out today, making the long-running joke that "this time you will definitely be able to use Apple Intelligence" come true at last.
For those eager to try it early, a word of caution: this is a developer beta, not an official release, so it may be unstable in various ways, so there is no need to rush. The official version is expected around December.
After updating, scroll down in Settings and toggle on Apple Intelligence & Siri. You will see the four categories of features currently available in the mainland China version of Apple Intelligence. But note that the update is not fully complete yet and you still need to wait a bit longer. In the circled area, you need to wait for Siri to finish updating completely.
Then summon Siri, and if the screen glows around all four edges, that is correct. However, note that this is still not finished, and below that, Qwen will suggest logging in. At that point, the setup is essentially done.
After a brief trial, these four features are actually ones that people have already used on other domestic phones or in standalone apps like Doubao. What Apple (AAPL) has done is put them inside the phone, with the main advantage being greater convenience. For example, if you casually write a leave request email in Notes, it can transform it into three different styles or make a list as needed, which is much simpler than copy-paste-switch to the Qwen app-edit-paste back. In addition, image erasure and real-time translation, among others, are also more convenient for many people to do directly with a swipe in Photos.
Genmoji is a feature built into iPhone Messages, where AI helps match and generate various suitable emojis. But given the dominant habit of using WeChat in China, this feature is better suited to young people who are used to chatting via iMessage. The glowing Siri has also regained some new abilities, such as answering more complex questions. For booking flights, it finally no longer just brings up web pages, and Siri can also understand screen content.
Also note that the mainland China version of Apple Intelligence is currently limited to iPhone, while iPad, Mac and similar devices still need to wait for approval. Overall, the mainland China version of Apple Intelligence has finally taken the step from zero to one. Although the features at this stage are not stunning and there are certain usage limitations, the convenience brought by system-level integration already makes it possible to feel Apple (AAPL)'s efforts in localizing the AI experience.
Oh, by the way, this article was typed on a phone and polished with the mainland China version of Apple Intelligence (Qwen).
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