Mainland Chinese iPhone users unable to access Apple Intelligence after AI update · TechNode

Apple released the developer beta version of its iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 for iPhone and iPad users on Tuesday, introducing AI features for the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Macs and iPads with M1 chips or higher. The new Apple Intelligence features include text proofreading and grammar correction, enhanced Siri capabilities with a new interface design, smart summaries and auto-replies for email, automatic creation of Memories movies in the photo album, and AI-generated summaries of phone conversations. However, shortly after the update’s release it emerged that mainland Chinese iPhone users were unable to use Apple’s new AI offerings, a situation that soon started trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Apple’s customer service department told local media outlet Sina Tech that the AI features were not available because the new official version of them has not yet been launched in China. [Caijing, in Chinese]