Overview
- ByteDance released a technical preview of the Doubao phone assistant on December 1 for developers using a ZTE nubia M153 engineering sample.
- Soon after the preview, WeChat triggered passive logouts and multiple Alibaba apps, including Taobao and Xianyu, refused logins on the device.
- Games such as Honor of Kings can detect AI-driven control, allowing only manual launch and blocking the assistant from opening or operating them.
- ZTE's online store showed the initial Doubao assistant phone batch sold out by December 2, with secondhand listings at 4,200–4,999 yuan, roughly 700–1,500 yuan above the official price.
- On December 8, an Honor performance engineer described Doubao as a meaningful AI-era interaction exploration and cautioned that achieving a durable experience loop will be challenging.