Apple removes Qwen AI document from publication in China
Apple briefly made a help document available in China detailing the process for enabling Alibaba’s Qwen AI service for use with Apple Intelligence. Spotted by Reuters on August 8, the document was removed by August 9, according to local reporting.
The guide explained how eligible Mac users in mainland China can connect Alibaba’s Qwen artificial-intelligence service to Siri and Apple’s Writing Tools feature. The extension was available only for Macs running macOS 26.6 or later, and required users to have their own Qwen account, likely reflecting local conditions on AI use.
The publication of this guide was widely seen (including by this commentator) as a signal that Apple Intelligence and Siri AI are scheduled to make their full appearance on Apple devices in China soon. The subsequent removal of the document continues to imply the same thing, as it would not exist at all if such plans did not exist.
Coming soon, probably
Apple has said nothing about the publication and subsequent removal of the document, but the strategic importance of AI to its device sales in China is apparent as competitors eat away at the edge of its marketshare with their own so-called AI devices. While this story only extends to Macs, it seems plausible to anticipate wider deployment.
Apple has been speaking with local AI operators, Baidu and Alibaba, along with the Chinese government, for months as it sought some way to bring AI to its products in China. Alibaba has said Qwen will be incorporated into Apple Intelligence across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro software in China.
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