Pre-orders for the iPhone 16 are now open, and thousands of Apple fans around the world are heading to the company's online store to secure an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, or iPhone 16 Pro Max.
The biggest update this year is Apple Intelligence, the next set of advanced artificial intelligence features coming to iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
However, two regions with a combined population of nearly two billion people will lose the ability to use Apple Intelligence altogether. Apple will not be bringing Apple Intelligence to the EU, and we can now confirm that Apple Intelligence will also no longer be available on iPhones sold in mainland China.
Apple refers to this region as mainland China, which we understand does not include territories controlled by the Republic of China, especially Taiwan, or the Hong Kong and Macau Special Administrative Regions.
The EU
The situation with Apple Intelligence in the EU is complex to say the least. As we reported, Apple will not bring Apple Intelligence to the EU due to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), an EU law designed to protect competition and prevent monopolies.
Apple has reluctantly adhered to the DMA through EU-only features such as app sideloading, without offering the same to the rest of the world.
Apple told us in June that the DMA has created “regulatory uncertainties” that make launching Apple Intelligence in the EU unfeasible “…due to the regulatory uncertainties created by the Digital Markets Act (DMA), we do not believe we will be able to implement […] “Apple Intelligence for our EU users this year”
Apple Intelligence will not be available if you are physically located in the EU as long as your Apple ID country or region is also within the EU. Both conditions must be met for Apple Intelligence to be blocked.
This means that EU visitors who have their Apple ID country/region set to outside the EU will be able to use Apple Intelligence during their visit, although we haven't been able to test this yet.
Additionally, iPhones purchased in the EU with EU Apple ID addresses are perfectly capable of using Apple Intelligence elsewhere, as long as the device language and Siri language are set to a supported language (currently only US English).
Users can change the language of their iPhone device in the Settings app by going to General > Language & Region > Add Language.
You can also change Siri's language in the Settings app by going to Siri & Search > Language.
Temporarily changing your Apple ID region is also not a viable solution, as this requires you to cancel all subscriptions and revokes access to apps purchased from the previous region's app store.
As MacRumors reported in August, at least one beta version of iOS 18.1 has allowed EU users to try out Apple Intelligence.
Mainland China
The situation in mainland China is more strict. Currently, iPhones purchased in mainland China cannot use Apple Intelligence anywhere in the world, and iPhones purchased elsewhere cannot access Apple Intelligence while in mainland China.
According to Reuters, the Chinese government is requiring generative AI chatbots (soon to be described as Siri) to be vetted before they are released.
And as the South China Morning Post reports, the 188 large language models currently approved by the People's Republic of China all originate in the country. There is still no indication of when, or if, Apple Intelligence will be allowed to operate in mainland China.
Apple clearly plans to make Apple Intelligence available in the EU and mainland China in the future. The company has confirmed that once available, compatible iPhone models in the EU and mainland China will be able to activate and use Apple Intelligence.
For the latest updates on Apple’s next set of AI features, check out our Apple Intelligence coverage, and be sure to check out our iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max hubs for everything you need to know about Apple’s new iPhone lineup.
