Morning Brief

1. Apple adjusts App Store and iOS rules in Japan
2. Jizhi Dynamics launches the multi-form embodied robot TRON 2
3. China Media Group unveils the mascot for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala
4. Hainan Free Trade Port completes island-wide customs closure
5. Volcengine officially releases the Doubao Large Model 1.8
6. OpenAI announces developers can submit apps to ChatGPT
7. Rumors You Can Just Glance At

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Apple adjusts App Store and iOS rules in Japan

On December 18, Apple announced a series of adjustments to the App Store and the iOS system in Japan to comply with the regulatory requirements of the Mobile Software Competition Act (MSCA). Under the new rules, developers are allowed to offer third-party payment methods within their apps, direct users to websites to complete purchases, or distribute apps through alternative app marketplaces, alongside the introduction of a new fee structure. The overall framework is similar to the EU’s DMA, but differs in areas such as the parallel presentation of payment options, app distribution channels, and interoperability requirements.

In addition, the MSCA is driving several system-level changes, including allowing users to choose default browsers, search engines, and navigation apps during setup, as well as opening the side button to eligible third-party voice assistants. In terms of protections for minors, Apple has introduced stricter restrictions on payments and external links for children’s apps and underage users. These changes began rolling out with the iOS 26.2 update and apply only to iOS apps distributed in Japan. Source

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Jizhi Dynamics launches the multi-form embodied robot TRON 2

On December 18, LimX Dynamics announced the launch of its multi-form embodied robot TRON 2 and opened pre-orders, with a starting price of RMB 49,800. The product features a modular design that allows a single core body to rapidly switch between multiple configurations—such as dual-arm, bipedal, and wheeled-leg forms—covering use cases ranging from fine manipulation to mobility across complex terrain.

In terms of system capabilities, TRON 2 is equipped with high-degree-of-freedom embodied dual arms and all-terrain locomotion, and supports the integration of multimodal perception components. The product offers open APIs and standardized hardware interfaces, enabling compatibility with mainstream Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models, and is accompanied by secondary development tools and a data platform, targeting applications in research, industry, and embodied intelligence–related fields. Source

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China Media Group unveils the mascot for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala

China Media Group has revealed the mascots for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala: four fine horses named “Qiqi,” “Jiji,” “Chichi,” and “Chengcheng,” which made their debut together. According to the announcement, the mascot designs draw inspiration from iconic depictions of horses across different periods of Chinese history, incorporating traditional motifs such as flowing cloud patterns and mountain-cloud patterns, symbolizing auspicious wishes for success and a bright future. Source

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Hainan Free Trade Port completes island-wide customs closure

According to the official Hainan Free Trade Port WeChat account, starting December 18, 2025, the Hainan Free Trade Port will officially implement an island-wide customs closure. After the closure takes effect, the relationship between Hainan and areas outside the island will be defined as the “first line,” with “outside the island” including not only foreign countries and regions, but also Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan.

The account also released two catalogues. The first is a prohibited and restricted list, covering goods and items that are banned or restricted from import and export; goods and items not on the list may move freely. The second is the catalogue of taxable imported goods (also known as the “zero-tariff negative list”): goods not included in this catalogue may enter the free trade port exempt from import duties. After the customs closure, the policies of “zero tariffs, low tax rates, and a simplified tax system” will gradually be extended to a broader scope.

For businesses, the Hainan Free Trade Port means a wider range of policy benefits with lower thresholds; for individuals, it means that purchasing various products in Hainan will become more affordable. Source

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Volcengine officially releases the Doubao Large Model 1.8

At the Volcano Engine Force Core Power Conference held on December 18, ByteDance officially released Doubao Large Model 1.8. The model has been specifically optimized for multimodal agent scenarios, with enhanced capabilities in tool invocation, complex instruction understanding, and OS agent–related functions, significantly improving its planning and execution performance when handling complex tasks.

Volcano Engine stated that in multiple public benchmarks, Doubao 1.8 achieved best-in-class or near-best results in tasks such as visual reasoning, general visual question answering, spatial understanding, and video understanding; it ranks among the global leaders on the general agent benchmark BrowseComp; and in foundational language model capabilities such as mathematics and reasoning, its overall performance is also close to that of the world’s top general-purpose models. Doubao 1.8 is now available on Volcano Engine and has opened its API to enterprises and developers. Source

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OpenAI announces developers can submit apps to ChatGPT

On December 17, OpenAI announced that the previously launched ChatGPT app feature is now open for developer submissions. Developers can apply for listing in accordance with the app submission guidelines in order to publish their apps on the ChatGPT platform. OpenAI stated that it has provided a range of resources to help developers build higher-quality applications.

At the same time, an app directory has gone live within ChatGPT. Users can browse recommended apps or search through all published apps in the directory. The directory can be accessed via the Tools menu, or directly by visiting chatgpt.com/apps. Developers can also use deep links on other platforms to take users directly to their app’s dedicated page within the directory.

In the current early stage, developers can set up outbound links within their ChatGPT apps to guide users to their own websites or native apps to complete transactions for physical goods. In the future, OpenAI will explore additional monetization options, including digital goods, and will provide further details based on real-world usage and interactions between developers and users. Source

In addition, ChatGPT has also been integrated into the Apple Music app, allowing users to search for songs and generate playlists directly within Apple Music. Source

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Rumors You Can Just Glance At

• In the latest Android 2512 Canary build, the system has added a new “Satellite” Quick Settings tile along with a “Satellite Connectivity” settings page, which displays availability status and lists apps that support satellite networks. The tile will show as enabled, available, or unavailable depending on whether the user’s carrier plan supports NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) roaming. Code indicates that the system will present different lists of satellite-enabled apps based on whether the device and plan support LTE-NTN or narrowband NB-NTN. In addition to the already announced Google Maps, Messages, and WhatsApp, apps such as AccuWeather, Google Weather, Snapchat, and X also appear on the candidate list. This suggests that satellite communication capabilities within the Android ecosystem may continue to expand, though these features are still in testing and development. Source
• According to Bloomberg, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew revealed in an internal memo that TikTok and ByteDance have signed binding agreements with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX to establish a U.S. joint venture primarily owned by American investors, advancing TikTok’s long-delayed divestment plan. The transaction is expected to be completed on January 22, 2026, pending multiple preparatory steps and regulatory approvals. Source