Apple iPhone 16 faces ban in Indonesia

Apple’s iPhone 16 will not be available for sale in Indonesia after the tech company failed to meet the country’s local content requirements. According to the Indonesian industry ministry, smartphones sold domestically must contain at least 40% locally made components, a threshold the iPhone 16 did not meet. Ministry spokesperson Febri Hendri Antoni Arief confirmed that while imports of the device for personal use are permitted if proper taxes are paid, Apple has not secured the necessary local content certification to market the phone widely in Indonesia.

Apple’s absence from the market could give a further edge to leading competitors OPPO and Samsung, who hold the top two positions in Indonesia’s smartphone market. The country’s large, tech-savvy population makes it a critical market for tech investment, and Indonesian officials have encouraged Apple to partner with domestic firms to meet local content requirements.

While Apple has no manufacturing plants in Indonesia, it has invested in app developer academies since 2018, amounting to around $101.8 million to support local talent and development.