Dear Apple Developer Relations & Technical Support Team,
I am an iOS developer based in Mainland China. We are currently developing an on-device AI-powered translation assistant for reading original English books, targeted at a global market.
We have upgraded our development setup to Xcode 27.3 Beta and iOS 27.3 Beta. When attempting to invoke the FoundationModels API on an iPhone 15 Pro (Mainland China SKU: MTQA3CH/A), the system fails to initialize and returns the following diagnostics:
- Availability: unavailable(FoundationModels.SystemLanguageModel.Availability.UnavailableReason.deviceNotEligible)
- Raw Error: FoundationModels.SystemLanguageModel.Error Code 0 ("The assets required for the session are unavailable.")
- Language Support: supportsLocale(zh-Hans): true
Considering that the iPhone 15 Pro hardware (A17 Pro chip) meets the necessary performance criteria and the framework reports that Simplified Chinese is supported, we would like to consult with you on the following key questions:
-
Current Availability & Expected Release Timeline:
- Is the FoundationModels API currently completely disabled for Mainland China hardware models (CH/A)?
- If it is currently restricted, when is it expected to become available for developers and users in Mainland China? If there is an established roadmap or target release schedule, could you please share a specific timeline so we can plan our product roadmap and release cadence accordingly?
-
Model Strategy for Mainland China:
- In Mainland China, will Apple eventually enable the standard FoundationModels API seamlessly under the hood, or will a different, locally-partnered/compliant AI model be required to satisfy regional regulations?
- Should developers expect the existing FoundationModels API to unlock in the future, or should we design a separate, alternative AI backend specifically for the Mainland China market?
-
Testing Solutions for Global App Deployment:
- Since our application is intended for global release outside Mainland China, what is the official recommended workflow for China-based developers using CH/A devices to test and debug FoundationModels features during this beta phase (e.g., using Xcode Simulator, overseas non-CH/A hardware, or a developer sandbox/allowlist)?
Environment & Diagnostic Details:
- Developer Team ID: NVQ5CF8F2X
- Xcode Version: Version 27.3 beta (Build: 27C5020n)
- iOS Version: Version 27.3 (Build: 24C5037i)
- Test Device: iPhone 15 Pro (Hardware: iPhone16,1, Model: MTQA3CH/A)
- Diagnostic State: isAvailable = false, deviceNotEligible
- Error: Domain=FoundationModels.SystemLanguageModel.Error, Code=0, "The assets required for the session are unavailable."
Thank you very much for your time and assistance. We look forward to hearing your insights.
Sincerely,
Kai