Apple is working to enable Apple Intelligence in China and the EU

During Apple Intelligence’s announcement at WWDC 2024, Apple said the technology would be available for English in the US first, with support for more languages ​​to be added over the next year. However, users in China and the European Union won’t be able to try out the AI ​​feature at all — but Apple says it’s working with regulators to change that.

Apple Intelligence in China and the EU

Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked during an earnings call with investors on Thursday about the availability of Apple Intelligence in other markets, particularly China and the EU. Cook did not provide many details on that, but said Apple is “committed” to working with regulators to make AI features available “to everyone.”

According to the executive, the company wants to first understand all the regulatory requirements before determining the time frame for implementing Apple Intelligence in these regions.

We are engaged, as you might imagine, with both of the regulatory bodies that you mentioned. And our goal is to move as quickly as possible, of course, because our goal is always to make features available to everyone. We need to understand the regulatory requirements before we can commit to that and set a timeline, but we are very constructively engaged with both parties.

While Apple Intelligence is only available in English, users can preview the new features by switching their devices to English and setting the region to the United States in Settings. However, for those in China and the European Union, the AI ​​features have been completely blocked by Apple.

Apple said in a statement that these features will be blocked in the EU due to “privacy and security concerns.” Apple is likely concerned about having to change how Apple Intelligence works in Europe due to local AI regulations. As for China, local regulations require that data be processed on Chinese servers, rather than sent to third-party servers in other countries.

More languages ​​next year

As for support for more languages, Tim Cook reiterated during the call that Apple Intelligence will launch this fall in US English and that more features, functions, and languages ​​will be added “over the course of the next year.”

When asked, he did not specify whether these updates will appear with the new version of iOS 18 in the first half of the year or with iOS 19 in the fall of 2025.

While Apple Intelligence features will be available for free with iOS 18 and macOS 15 updates, they require the latest Apple devices – such as iPads and Macs running M1 or later, or iPhone 15 Pro.