Apple will introduce new Apple Intelligence features in beta with the iOS 18.1 update. However, iOS users in the European Union (EU) and China will not be able to use the feature immediately due to legal and regulatory issues.
First, not all iPhones support Apple Intelligence. Due to hardware requirements such as RAM and NPU performance, in addition to the newly released iPhone16 series, only iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max support Apple Intelligence after installing iOS 18.1, 4GB of free storage, and the device and Siri language must be changed to a supported language.
Apple Intelligence only supports US English at the moment, with other English variants coming in December. Other languages like Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish will be added next year.
However, users in the EU and China still face significant limitations. Apple Intelligence will not work if the user's Apple ID is located in an EU country, even if the iPhone and Siri are set to a supported language, meaning users in the EU will only be able to use these features when traveling outside the region. In China, Apple Intelligence will not work on iPhones purchased in mainland China or for users with an Apple ID associated with that country.
Some EU beta testers have found a way to access Apple Intelligence by changing their Apple ID region to a supported country like the US. However, this workaround has significant drawbacks: Users must empty their iTunes store balance, cancel any Apple subscriptions like iCloud or Apple Music, provide a fake US address that may not work with current payment methods, and lose access to all apps and purchases from the EU App Store, forcing them to start fresh in the US App Store. For most users, this workaround is too inconvenient.
The delays in these regions are largely due to regulations and privacy concerns, CNBC reported.
In the EU, the Digital Markets Act (DMA) requires companies like Apple, which are classified as “gatekeepers,” to follow strict rules on fair competition and transparency, especially when it comes to user data privacy. Apple is working closely with EU regulators to ensure that Apple Intelligence complies with these regulations before rolling out features there.
China, with its strict data privacy laws, poses another challenge. Apple’s emphasis on user privacy and data security clashes with China’s strict regulations, further delaying the rollout.
