14 DAY TRIAL // India continues to be a difficult market for Apple, and while the company struggles to grow its 1 percent market share, it occasionally hits new roadblocks.
This time, Apple is being warned that not agreeing to offer an anti-spam application developed by the Indian government could lead to iPhones getting banned locally, with all proposals made by the Cupertino-based tech company already rejected.
Specifically, the government-developed app is called Do Not Disturb and is supposed to fight spam on the Indian market. With spam becoming a major issue for mobile phone users, India has requested phone makers to install the said app on the devices they sell locally, thus trying to make sure that all customers would benefit from extra protection.
While the app has already made its way to Android devices in 2016, Apple has opposed the proposal, explaining that by providing access to phone calls and text message logs the app violates its own policy and infringes on user privacy.
Dispute could move to court
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), however, has become increasingly aggressive in its push for phone makers to adopt the app, so it has recently notified carriers that they may be requested to block iPhones on their networks should an agreement with Apple wouldn't be reached.
Apple has proposed a series of changes in a letter sent to regulators, specifically requesting for the ban to be dropped.
“We look forward to working with TRAI to address the issue of unsolicited commercial communications, while simultaneously ensuring that we fully honor our commitment to protect the privacy and security of our users,” Apple’s head of public policy in India, Kulin Sanghvi, told regulators according to a Reuters report.
On the other hand, TRAI warned that a letter could by no means be considered an official proposal, and Apple should challenge the possible ban in court.
The Cupertino-based tech giant hasn’t issued a public comment on this so far, but it’ll certainly be interesting to see if it gives up on its push for full user privacy in exchange for the possibility to expand in one of the fastest growing mobile markets worldwide.