Apple · Full chronicle and history

Recently, many netizens have complained that their saved Xi Jinping memes were automatically grouped together by iPhone Photos' facial recognition, sparking heated discussion.

On November 5, a netizen posted that when using the China-version iPhone's Apple Intelligence to process lyrics, the system blocked it for "potentially not complying with relevant laws and regulations," and the restriction persisted even after modifications. Netizens in the comments pointed out that the reason was the phrase "in the crowd, dancing the flower dance" (在人群中共跳花之舞) contained the term "Zhonggong" (中共, CCP).

On November 4, the Chinese version of Apple Intelligence was released to users with the iOS 18.2 developer beta, with its AI features powered by Chinese models such as Qwen.

Screenshots submitted by netizens show that when using the iPhone's cleanup tool to process photos of Xi Jinping or meme images of Mao Zedong, the system prompts: 'According to relevant laws and regulations, this image cannot be processed.' When asked what happened on June 4, 1989, Qwen replied: 'Let's change the subject.'

In October 2026, many Xiaohongshu users posted screenshots showing Apple Maps labeled “Taiwan Province,” claiming that Apple had officially renamed “Chinese Taipei.” An RFA fact-check found that similar claims had already circulated in 2024, and that only users in mainland China see “Taiwan Province,” while users in Taiwan, the United States, Thailand and elsewhere still see “Taiwan.”

On September 28, a netizen claiming to be an Apple supply chain employee posted on Xiaohongshu, saying she had suffered unfair treatment and suppression at work, and that after complaining to Apple she “received a lot of respect.” She posted a screenshot of the complaint report and thanked Apple. Apple’s official website states that suppliers retaliating against employees can, in the most serious cases, have their cooperation terminated.

A BBC Verify investigation found that Apple Maps massively blurs satellite imagery within China, covering military, government, and Xinjiang detention facilities. Apple responded that it must comply with local laws.

On September 18, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro officially went on sale. Previously, Apple's official Chinese website had marked the release date as 'next Friday the 18th' instead of 'September 18,' which was accused of being an attempt to avoid the anniversary of the September 18 Incident. On the day of release, the comment sections of relevant media reports saw a large number of boycotting remarks such as 'never forget national humiliation' and 'firmly refuse to buy.'

On September 15, Apple released the official version of iOS 17, which includes a new alarm feature that supports compensatory leave (tiaoxiu). Wenzhou state media "Temperature News" called this an "epic update," sparking widespread ridicule from netizens who accused Apple of compromising with China's compensatory leave system and keeping pace with the regression of the times.

Apple's official website in mainland China has downplayed the release date of a new product scheduled for September 18th, referring to it as 'next Friday the 18th,' while the Hong Kong and Taiwan websites correctly state 'September 18th,' sparking speculation about avoiding the September 18th Incident.

Apple's press conference on September 10 announced that Intelligence supports multiple languages, but noted it is unavailable in mainland China, stating its release depends on regulatory approval.

Apple held a product launch event on September 9, unveiling a foldable smartphone for the first time. The event was hosted by John Ternus, who took over from Tim Cook as chief executive earlier this month, marking his first product launch since taking the role.

On August 17, 2026, tech media exposed macOS system code showing that Apple has established an independent content security filtering mechanism for the Chinese mainland market, with user editing restricted and security updates required.

On August 17, MacRumors reported that content safety prompts related to the mainland China version of Apple Intelligence writing tools were discovered in the macOS 26.7 system code, indicating it may have an independent content censorship mechanism.

On August 14, 2026, media reported that, in response to China's stringent AI algorithm regulatory thresholds, Apple separately trained a large language model for the Chinese market and connected it to local model services.

On August 9, 2026, US media reported that Apple has tested memory chips from China's ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) on iPhones and MacBooks, and has held preliminary negotiations with CXMT on procurement, planning to use them in some devices sold in China while seeking the White House's approval.

Master Kong reported instant noodle business revenue of over 13.7 billion yuan, up 2% year on year; Uni-President reported food business revenue of over 5.6 billion yuan, up 4.7% year on year.

Senators from both U.S. parties have sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, asking Apple to stop purchasing chips from ChangXin Memory Technologies and Yangtze Memory Technologies, and to explain its cooperation with the two companies by August 21.

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing it of poaching more than 400 former Apple employees and of recruiting hardware executives and employees who brought along confidential materials on unreleased products.

Apple has raised prices on several products, attributing the increases to tight supply of memory chips.

xAI has sued Apple and OpenAI, accusing the two of squeezing out competitors in app distribution on the App Store.

In April 2024, Apple said that China's Cyberspace Administration requested, on the grounds of "national security," that it remove Threads from the Chinese App Store. The platform where Fan Yun's team published the relevant video was Threads.