ByteDance in Talks With Smartphone Makers to Embed AI Assistant
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The Doubao app. Photo: Visual China Group
ByteDance Ltd. released a preview of a smartphone assistant powered by its Doubao large language model on Monday, as the company explores deeper integration of its AI software into mobile operating systems without making its own devices.
The Doubao Phone Assistant is designed to operate at the system level, allowing it to autonomously perform complex tasks across different apps such as booking tickets, comparing prices and placing online orders. As such functionality requires deep access permissions, the assistant depends on authorization from phone manufacturers. ByteDance has partnered with ZTE Corp. to run the preview on a limited-release engineering sample, the “nubia M153,” priced at 3,499 yuan ($493). The device is being sold in small quantities.
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- ByteDance previewed the Doubao Phone Assistant, an AI tool operating at the system level via integration with phone makers, not by making its own devices.
- The assistant debuted on ZTE’s “nubia M153,” sold in limited quantities at 3,499 yuan ($493); ByteDance seeks wider ecosystem partnerships.
- Doubao leads China’s native AI app market with 172 million monthly active users as of September 2025; system-level AI assistant user base reached 535 million.
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Who’s Who
- ByteDance Ltd.
- ByteDance Ltd. is integrating its Doubao large language model into smartphone operating systems with a new phone assistant, without manufacturing its own devices. This assistant can perform complex tasks across apps but requires authorization from phone manufacturers due to deep access permissions. ByteDance is partnering with ZTE Corp. and seeking "ecosystem cooperation" with other mobile brands to embed their AI.
- ZTE Corp.
- ZTE Corp. is a Chinese telecommunications company that has partnered with ByteDance to preview the Doubao Phone Assistant. They are running the preview on a limited-release engineering sample, the "nubia M153," which is being sold in small quantities.
- Samsung Electronics Co.
- Samsung Electronics Co. announced in April that its Galaxy A series would allow users to activate Google's Gemini AI assistant via a side button. This reflects a broader trend among large language model (LLM) developers to integrate with hardware to increase usage frequency and user engagement.
- Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd.
- Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is a major manufacturer in China that has already launched devices featuring its own system-level AI assistants. They are part of the crowded Chinese market where ByteDance is seeking to integrate its Doubao assistant.
- Xiaomi Corp.
- Xiaomi Corp. is a major smartphone manufacturer in China. The company has already launched devices featuring its own system-level AI assistants. This places Xiaomi in a competitive market with other companies like Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. and Honor Device Co. Ltd., as ByteDance seeks to integrate its Doubao assistant into existing phone brands.
- Honor Device Co. Ltd.
- Honor Device Co. Ltd. is a significant player in the Chinese smartphone market. They are among the major manufacturers that have launched devices featuring their own system-level AI assistants. This positions them as a competitor to ByteDance's efforts to integrate its Doubao assistant into mobile operating systems.
- High-Flyer Quant
- High-Flyer Quant is a developer in China's native AI app market. Its product, DeepSeek, had 145 million monthly active users in September, making it the second most popular native AI app in the country, trailing only ByteDance's Doubao.
- Tencent Holdings Ltd.
- Tencent Holdings Ltd. offers an AI assistant called Tencent Yuanbao, which had 32.9 million monthly active users in September. This places it behind ByteDance's Doubao and High-Flyer Quant's DeepSeek in the competitive Chinese native AI app market.
- Apple Inc.
- Apple Inc. has not yet officially announced a local partner for its Apple Intelligence features in China. While the U.S. tech giant stated in February it was collaborating with Alibaba to deploy AI on iPhones in China, these functions have not yet launched on the Chinese mainland.
- Alibaba
- Alibaba is mentioned in the context of Apple's search for a local partner for its Apple Intelligence features in China. Apple reportedly collaborated with Alibaba to deploy AI on iPhones in the country, but these functions have not yet been launched on the Chinese mainland.
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What Happened When
- February 2025：
- Apple Inc. disclosed collaboration with Alibaba to deploy AI on iPhones in China, but has not launched those functions on the mainland.
- April 2025：
- Samsung Electronics Co. announced Galaxy A series would allow users to activate Google’s Gemini AI assistant via the side button.
- September 2025：
- QuestMobile reported the user base for AI assistants from the six largest smartphone makers reached 535 million, native AI apps at 287 million, in-app AI features at 706 million.
- September 2025：
- QuestMobile indicated Doubao reached 172 million monthly active users, DeepSeek at 145 million,Tencent Yuanbao at 32.9 million.
- December 1, 2025：
- ByteDance Ltd. released a preview of the Doubao large language model-powered smartphone assistant.
- December 2025：
- Demonstration showcased Doubao's new phone assistant capabilities, including being woken by voice, side button, or Ola Friend headphones and performing actions across apps.
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