Heaptalk, Jakarta — Following Indonesia’s government’s ban on the sale of the iPhone 16, Apple has announced the establishment of a manufacturing facility in Bandung, West Java, with an investment value of US$10 million.
This move is part of Apple’s strategic measures to meet regulatory requirements and remove the restrictions on the latest iPhone model within the archipelago’s market.
“We have been in communication with Apple. We will discuss the specifics of this plan further,” Vice Minister of Indonesia, Faisol Riza, said.
Faisol noted that while Apple had previously expressed interest in meeting local regulatory commitments, recent assessments indicated that these commitments fell short of requirements.
“I hope Apple’s renewed commitment can be implemented as soon as possible,” he remarked.
The Indonesian Ministry of Industry is currently reviewing the proposed sale of the iPhone 16, primarily due to unmet criteria around the Local Content Requirement (TKDN). Minister Kartasasmita will provide further updates on the situation in the coming days.
In parallel, Minister of Trade Budi Santoso reiterated that his department is prepared to take action against any e-commerce platforms that attempt to sell iPhone 16 or Google Pixel smartphones, as both devices currently lack government approval for sale in Indonesia.
“E-commerce platforms are constantly under review. Suppose they are found to be selling unapproved products like the iPhone 16 or Google Pixel. In that case, we will enforce necessary actions,” Budi stated, speaking at a recent Mayora Group export event in Cikupa, Tangerang, Banten.
The Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) has thus prohibited e-commerce platforms from listing iPhone 16 and Google Pixel devices produced by Apple and Alphabet, respectively, to uphold compliance with national regulations on imported electronic devices.
