Two days ago I told you that Siri AI now speaks Spanish with iOS 27.2. Apple hasn’t wasted any time with the next version: it has confirmed that Apple Intelligence testing in China starts on November 4 with the next iOS developer beta, and that the final release will arrive with iOS 27.3 in December. The interesting part is that it announced this on its China Newsroom (October 31), which is unusual, because Apple almost never puts a date on a beta.
When the iOS 27.3 beta arrives
- Developer beta: Apple mentions Wednesday, November 4 (China time). According to MacRumors, because of the time difference it will most likely land in the US on Tuesday, November 3.
- Final release: December, with no specific day.
- One caveat: as 9to5Mac points out, what Apple has dated is the start of Apple Intelligence testing in China, not exactly the release of beta 1. In practice it should be the same thing, but it isn’t 100% confirmed.
Which Apple Intelligence features are coming to China
It’s basically the “classic” Apple Intelligence, the one the rest of the world has been using since iOS 18.1. According to Apple’s official announcement, the first package includes:
- Live Translation in Messages, FaceTime and Phone, and also in face-to-face conversations with compatible AirPods.
- Writing Tools to rewrite, proofread and summarize.
- Visual Intelligence with the iPhone camera.
- Clean Up in Photos, natural language search, and creating memories from a description.
- Genmoji.
- In Mail: priority messages, email summaries and Smart Reply (also in Messages).
- Summaries and priority notifications, plus the Reduce Interruptions Focus.
- Summaries of audio transcriptions in Notes and of phone calls.
- A more natural Siri, with the option to type to it instead of talking.
Alibaba’s Qwen, inside Siri
The big difference from our version is the partner. In the West, when Siri doesn’t know something it can turn to ChatGPT; in China it will use Qwen, Alibaba’s model. Apple builds it into Siri, Writing Tools (including a feature to create text from scratch) and Visual Intelligence, and you access it by signing in with a Qwen account or with “Sign in with Apple.” This is no coincidence: China restricts foreign AI, which is why Apple had to partner with Alibaba and Baidu and accept that the Chinese government approves model updates.
What’s not coming: Siri AI and Image Playground
Apple makes it clear in the announcement: Siri AI and the other Apple Intelligence features announced at WWDC 2026 are not part of this update. According to MacRumors, Image Playground won’t be available in China either.
Which iPhones you need
- iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max.
- iPhone 16 and later, iPhone Air and iPhone Duo.
- The iPhone and Siri language must be set to English or Simplified Chinese.
- iPhone only: iPad, Mac and other devices will wait until the necessary approvals come through.
What does this change for you in the US?
Directly, nothing: in the US we already have all of this, and Siri AI on the iPhone too. If you use your iPhone in Spanish, iOS 27.2 also brought Siri AI in Spanish, as I explained in the iOS 27.2 article.
What does matter to us about this beta is seeing what else it brings. During the iOS 27.2 betas Apple tested the redesigned Health app, but warned it wouldn’t ship with iOS 27.2 but later this year. iOS 27.3 looks very much like that update, but Apple hasn’t confirmed it. We’ll find out as soon as the beta is out.
My take
This is good news for Apple more than for users outside China. China is a key market, and Apple was competing there at a disadvantage: brands like Huawei have offered AI features for a while, and the iPhone had nothing comparable. Two years later, Apple is finally bringing them, even if it’s with someone else’s model and under government supervision. What strikes me is the contrast: China gets Apple Intelligence without Siri AI, while in the EU there’s Apple Intelligence but still no Siri AI on the iPhone. In the end, the new Siri doesn’t depend only on technology, but on who Apple has to negotiate with in each place.
Update (Nov. 4, 2026): the beta is now available and brings much more than Apple Intelligence in China. I cover everything in what’s new in the iOS 27.3 beta.
Sources: Apple Newsroom China, MacRumors, 9to5Mac.
