Apple switched on Alibaba's Qwen large language model for Mac users in mainland China on August 8, 2026, enabling Siri and Writing Tools to generate answers and draft text powered by the Chinese AI engine. Apple has publicly confirmed the integration is live, marking the first time a China-approved AI model has been embedded inside its software for the country's largest device user base.

Qwen Login Gates Siri on Mac

According to Apple's support pages, Mac owners must navigate to system settings and log in to a Qwen account before Siri begins pulling answers from the model and Writing Tools starts drafting text with it.

Users retain control over when Qwen is invoked and are prompted before any data is shared. A toggle setting allows users to permit Siri to route requests to Qwen. Alibaba is prohibited from using any of these requests to train or improve its own models, which places the integration within Apple's existing privacy and user-consent framework for Apple Intelligence.

The Qwen-powered features are part of Apple Intelligence, which Apple still designates as a Beta. Supported languages include Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Notably, Apple's Chinese product pages for iPhone, iPad, and Vision Pro make no mention of Qwen support.

In July, Alibaba announced the partnership, stating: "Qwen will be integrated into Apple Intelligence experiences within iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and vision OS for users in China." At that time, the rollout was expected to cover all four operating systems. Apple is also working with Baidu on AI search features that feed into Apple Intelligence and refine the Chinese version of Siri, according to Chinese media reports.

Two Years of Regulatory Lobbying

Securing the integration required approximately two years of lobbying by Apple to obtain approval from Chinese regulators. China mandates that generative AI services receive regulatory approval before being offered to consumers, and Apple partnered with companies that had already secured such clearances.

On July 15, the Cyberspace Administration of China published a registration list for seven on-device generative AI services for phones, including "Apple Intelligence." The listed registrant is Apple Technology Development (Shanghai) Co. The regulator cleared Apple alongside six other handset makers, including Huawei, Oppo, and Samsung.

Market Impact and Financial Context

Alibaba's Hong Kong-listed stock rose 5% on the day it confirmed the Apple partnership, while Baidu gained 4% and Apple added 1%. The deal to embed Qwen in Apple's software represents one of Alibaba's largest commercial agreements to date, potentially reaching millions of Chinese users across the Apple product ecosystem.

Apple reported fiscal third-quarter revenue of $109.4 billion for the period ended June 27, representing 16% year-over-year growth. Greater China sales climbed 22% to $18.816 billion. CEO Tim Cook said the iPhone set a June-quarter record in Greater China, and Mac computers delivered their best quarter ever in the region.