The Indonesian government has officially banned the use of the iPhone 16. Anyone who has an Apple device in the country is committing irregularities, and the ban even applies to devices purchased from abroad.
Local agency equivalent to Anatel did not confirm approval of devices. Additionally, the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) has not yet been published; this means: iPhone 16 purchased outside the country cannot be activated in the region.
Other Apple products released in recent months, such as the Apple Watch Series 10 smartwatch, have also failed to achieve certification and remain unregulated, but the problem goes beyond technical issues.
Why was iPhone 16 banned in Indonesia?
Smartphone ban in Indonesia It has nothing to do with technical reasons, it has to do with political reasons. Government blames Apple Failure to fully comply with investment agreements in the region.
According to the newspaper Economic TimesApple It is planned to invest the equivalent of R$ 618 million in the country’s local currency in terms of content and infrastructure, but for now only part of the value (about R$ 540 million at the current price) would be transferred.
Apple CEO Tim Cook in April He visited the capital Jakarta and stated that the company would “consider” opening local factories to manufacture and assemble devices in the country – expanding the alliance that started in 2019. However, no contact with the government was formalized after that.
Indonesia requires by law that foreign companies in the country must meet certain prerequisites to sell their products. including allocating a percentage of the amount invested to regional commitments and investments.
In Apple’s case, So-called Apple Academies should be opened in the countryThey are institutions that focus on research and development and facilitate local operations. For now, the company has not made an official comment on the issue.
Source: Tec Mundo
I’m Ben Stock, a highly experienced and passionate journalist with a career in the news industry spanning more than 10 years. I specialize in writing content for websites, including researching and interviewing sources to produce engaging articles. My current role is as an author at Gadget Onus, where I mainly cover the mobile section.
