Apple has inadvertently begun rolling out its Apple Intelligence feature in China despite not having received official approval from the country's authorities, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported. That said, what should you know about it?
Some users in China found the feature listed as available in their iPhone settings
For your information, some users in China found the feature listed as available and active in their iPhone settings, but according to Gurman, this was actually a mistake. He explained that Apple is unlikely to launch Apple Intelligence in its main markets without any official announcement , let alone at midnight local time.
Apple Intelligence launched in China in error - it’s been ready to go for months but Apple doesn’t yet have regulatory approval. There’s no imminent launch and this isn’t tied to the iOS 26.5 beta. Apple has pulled it offline. https://t.co/9pNooWGJyM
— Mark Gurman (@markgurman) March 30, 2026
Additionally, the feature currently uses Google's reverse image search , while Google is banned in China, making its launch more complicated. Gurman added that the feature is not rolling out anytime soon, is not in the iOS 26.5 beta, and Apple has pulled the feature from the web. However, some users claimed that it was still accessible a few hours ago.
To date, Apple has not been able to launch the Apple Intelligence feature in China due to the country's restrictions on foreign AI technology. Apple is working with Alibaba to support Apple Intelligence capabilities, but it still needs to get approval from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).
Moreover, the CAC needs to test and approve all AI models before the service can launch in China, and this process has reportedly been delayed. For now, the exact launch date of Apple Intelligence in China is still unclear.
Stay tuned to TechNave.com for more updates like this.
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