Is the iPhone 16 really banned in Indonesia? Know the reason behind it

A few days ago, Apple introduced its new iPhone 16 series and the phone is being sold out in various countries. However, the case of the iPhone 16 is totally different in Indonesia. Further, it's not fully confirmed by the officials, as there has been no official announcement of a ban on it from the Indonesian government. As per the reports from primary Indonesian websites like Kompas.com, the sale of iPhone 16 may be banned.

Indonesian Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita reportedly said that "the iPhone 16 is not sold because of failing to obtain a certificate, as Apple has failed to meet the expected investment requirements." The iPhone 16 is not listed for sale on several major Indonesian e-commerce websites such as Tokopedia, Blibli, and Lazada; accessories are present but not the phone itself. Even the official Indonesian website of Apple is not selling, which would have meant there might actually be a ban in place, even without an official government order for the iPhone 16 and its new models.

The whole matter deals with investment. Till now, Apple had committed 1.71 trillion rupiah but was able to invest only 1.48 trillion rupiah and there is a short of 230 billion rupiah. This shortfall impacts the TKDN certification 40 percent local content of foreign devices sold in Indonesia.

"We, the Ministry of Industry, cannot grant permission for the iPhone 16 yet because Apple still has to meet some commitments," Kartasasmita told Kompas.

This came after the recent visit to Jakarta of Apple CEO Tim Cook, who met with President Joko Widodo to discuss manufacturing possibilities. Until Apple meets its commitment to better investing in Indonesian facilities-including setting up local Apple Academies to handle R&D-the future of the iPhone 16 in the Indonesian market remains at a standstill.