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Indonesia to lift iPhone 16 ban soon, says local politician

Apple may have offered a new deal to the Indonesian government, which will likely go through within one or two weeks.

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Image: KnowTechie

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The Indonesian government is very close to a deal with Apple over an investment that would lift the iPhone 16 sales ban in the country.

According to a government minister, the ban could be lifted within a week or two.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s biggest country, banned the sale of iPhone 16 in October, citing that Apple failed to comply with the country’s domestic manufacturing requirements for smartphones and tablets. 

However, today’s Bloomberg report features an interview with Rosan Roselani, Indonesia’s investment minister.

In a rather strangely worded statement, the minister implied that the issue would be resolved soon.

Indonesia banned iPhone 16 sales to put pressure on Apple

The governments of the most populated countries are playing quid pro quo with Apple by giving the company access to their vast markets and demanding investment in the countries to foster development. 

Purple smartphone on pink background.
Image: KnowTechie

As you may have guessed, Indonesia is one such country that started with a relatively modest $109M investment demand in a developer academy and an additional $10M for manufacturing.

Unfortunately, this potential investment didn’t turn out to be the success the country’s government hoped for, so they upped the ante dramatically by banning iPhone 16 sales in the country, and asking got more investment. 

Apple offered $100M more, but the government rejected it, citing that it wasn’t enough. 

After that, the government demanded a billion-dollar investment in the country, far beyond Apple’s initial $100M offer.

Surprisingly, Apple agreed to it and revealed it would open a large-scale AirTag manufacturing plant in the country. 

This should have solved all the problems, but the Indonesian government rejected the offer, which is bizarre, to say the least, and once again demanded that they count only the manufacture of iPhone parts in the country. 

Indonesia iPhone 16 ban could be lifted in a week or two 

Now, according to the latest Bloomberg report, the iPhone 16 ban in Indonesia could lift soon, in a week or two, according to the country’s investment minister, Rosan Roselani.

Colorful iPhones lineup on purple background.
Image: KnowTechie

However, Roselani didn’t mention any details and only provided a vague statement regarding the issue. 

The way they calculate it is different I think. Now they find a solution on that one, so hopefully they accept the discrepancies so we can have the iPhone 16 sold in Indonesia.

The phrase “Now they find a solution” likely hints that Apple has made a new offer, but once again, we have no details on the offer.

However, it’s pretty clear that the issue is on the verge of being resolved, as both sides want to make it happen.

Have thoughts on the iPhone 16 returning to Indonesia? Are you a citizen waiting to purchase one? Tell us your thoughts in the comments, below, or via our Twitter or Facebook.

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Saurav loves writing and tech. So, after engineering, he didn't look back and embarked on a journey to become a tech writer. Saurav has worked for various tech websites across the globe. Saurav has recently joined Know Techie and is proud to be a part of it.

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