Apple Intelligence on Devices Purchased in China, Used Abroad

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Apple Intelligence on Devices Purchased in China, Used Abroad

I bought my MacBook Air (15-inch, M3, 2024) in Mainland China. Now I have moved to Singapore and changed my region in system settings and iCloud account settings. (System upgraded to Tahoe today.)

However, same as in China, Apple Intelligence and the applications that rely on it are still missing. There is only "Siri", instead of "Apple Intelligence & Siri", under Settings.

Is it because Apple Intelligence is restricted based on the hardware model? If not, Is there anyway I can get Apple Intelligence on my device?

MacBook Air 15″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Sep 16, 2025 02:03 AM

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Answer 1

Sep 16, 2025 03:03 AM in response to Metron_Lee

Hi @Metron_Lee -

Unfortunately, Apple Intelligence isn’t currently available on hardware purchased in the PRC. I’m not sure whether that’s tracked based on a demarcation in model # or by S/N.

My understanding is that this is anticipated to change in the future, in which case Apple Intelligence would be enabled through a device update.

Markup of relevant section from Apple Intelligence product/support pages ⤵️

Edit: PRC = People’s Republic of China

[Edited by Moderator]

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Answer 2

Mac Jim ID

Level 9

54,278 points

Sep 16, 2025 10:50 AM in response to Metron_Lee

That is a hardware restriction on devices distributed in China. Changing the region will make no difference as China is well aware that their citizens would be able to do that to allow a service that they forbid. If China changes its policy on the devices intended for distribution in their region, Apple may be able to provide an update. Currently devices, including the iPhone, that are intended for China distribution will not be able to use Apple Intelligence. The model number of the device denotes the distribution region.

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