155 Apps Reject Doubao Phone, Highlighting Agentic Barriers Between Platforms

On October 15, 2026, TMT Post reported that 155 apps had refused the Doubao phone, saying the AI agent struggles to get past the walls between internet platforms. The report argued that the agreements between platforms look respectable on the surface, but the real obstacle is commercial interest. This is the earliest public mention of the matter in the available material, though the report did not name the 155 apps or specify when the refusals took place.

On October 18, China News Service reported that the first AI agent phone in the country to complete the full compliance process, from large-model filing to device network access, had gone on sale. Its ability to have the agent operate apps on the user's behalf was rejected by multiple app vendors almost immediately after launch. The report framed the conflict as an open question and did not give specific reasons for the refusals in its summary. Later that day, cnBeta reported that CCTV had commented on the Doubao phone assistant being refused by more than a hundred apps, describing it as an inevitable industry collision in bringing AI into real-world use. cnBeta's summary also clarified that the apps are not unusable on the Doubao phone; rather, they prohibit the phone assistant from operating them on the user's behalf.

Taken together, the three reports leave the matter at the stage of public statements. TMT Post supplies the figure of 155 apps and points to platform interests; China News Service confirms the phone is on sale and that agent operation was refused; CCTV characterizes it as an industry collision. None of the material contains a specific reason from any refusing party, nor an official response from a platform or vendor, and there is no reporting yet on how the situation will be resolved.