Apple Intelligence Accidentally Launched in China Then Quickly Taken Down; Downloaded Local Models Also Remotely Removed

Many Apple users in China recently experienced a small incident: Apple Intelligence was accidentally launched in the early hours of March 31, but quickly taken down due to lack of regulatory approval. This came as a surprise to users looking forward to the AI feature.

What's more, even some users who had downloaded the AI model to their local devices found Apple remotely removed these model files. This means local stored models couldn't be kept either.

Apple responded that this was due to a software issue that briefly allowed Chinese devices to access the feature, which has now been fixed. They stated they are actively working on regulatory approval for Apple Intelligence in China, and the launch time will depend on the approval status.