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Which countries have banned iPhones or restricted Apple products entirely as of 2025?
Executive summary
As of the reporting in the provided sources, Indonesia has an explicit sales ban on Apple’s iPhone 16 for failing to meet a 40% local‑content rule, and several other countries have placed partial or targeted restrictions on Apple devices — for example China and Russia have barred or discouraged government use of foreign phones — while France and courts in other jurisdictions have ordered sale stops on specific iPhone models for regulatory or legal reasons (e.g., France → iPhone 12; Indonesia → iPhone 16) [1] [2] [3] [4]. Coverage is fragmented: some items are model‑specific or limited to government devices rather than blanket national bans, and available reporting does not list a single comprehensive roster of “countries that have banned all Apple products” as of 2025 [1] [3] [4].
1. Indonesia: a clear sales ban on the iPhone 16 over local‑content rules
Indonesia’s government banned sales of the iPhone 16 in late 2024/early 2025 because Apple and Google Pixel failed to meet the Tingkat Komponen Dalam Negeri (TKDN) requirement that 40% of phone components be sourced locally, and Jakarta described sales of those models as illegal until compliance is achieved [1] [5] [2]. Apple reportedly offered investment proposals — including a $1 billion manufacturing plan — but officials said that did not satisfy the TKDN rule for iPhones [5]. Reporting treats this as a model‑specific sales ban tied to industrial policy rather than an ideological or security‑only prohibition [1] [5].
2. China: restricted use for government work, not an all‑out civilian ban
Chinese authorities have ordered officials at central government agencies not to use foreign‑branded phones, including Apple iPhones, for government work or to bring them into certain offices; this is framed as an effort to cut reliance on foreign tech and to strengthen cybersecurity, and it applies to government use rather than being a nationwide civilian sales ban [3]. Multiple outlets describe this as an institutional restriction that affects official devices and environments more than ordinary consumer availability [3].
3. Russia: workplace guidance and partial restrictions for government employees
Reporting from earlier years and tech coverage show Russia urging or ordering state employees to stop using iPhones and iPads for official work apps and mail while allowing personal use — a targeted restriction motivated by security concerns and distrust of U.S. technologies, not a blanket consumer prohibition [6]. The restriction is specific to government systems and workflows, not a nationwide ban on retail sales in the sources provided [6].
4. France and other regulators: model‑specific sale stops on health/safety or legal grounds
Regulators have at times ordered sale stops for particular iPhone models on safety or legal grounds. France’s radiation watchdog (ANFR) banned sales of the iPhone 12 after tests found some units exceeded EU SAR limits; such actions were model‑specific and tied to compliance testing [4] [7]. Likewise, court rulings in other countries have on occasion required withdrawal of older iPhone models over legal disputes (for example litigation involving Qualcomm led to import/sale restrictions in parts of China and Germany in past years), which illustrates that bans can be narrow, time‑limited, or tied to specific models or legal cases [8].
5. Other reported claims and lower‑quality aggregations: treat cautiously
Several online lists and aggregation pieces assert that many countries have “banned” iPhones outright (examples in the search results include wholesale lists on sites like Slash‑7 or long lists in news roundups), but these often mix distinct actions — government device bans, model‑specific sale stops, import restrictions tied to sanctions, and past temporary rulings — without distinguishing scope or duration [9] [8]. Those pieces sometimes repeat unverified claims (for example, sweeping national bans) that are not corroborated by primary reporting in other sources; available sources do not mention a single country that has universally banned all Apple products for all users as of 2025 beyond model‑ or context‑specific orders (not found in current reporting).
6. How to read “ban” — six distinctions that matter
Journalistic parsing is essential: many so‑called “bans” are actually (a) sales bans for a specific model (Indonesia → iPhone 16) [1], (b) import or court‑ordered removals for older models tied to litigation or safety testing (China/Germany/France examples) [8] [4], (c) bans on government usage of foreign devices (China, Russia) [3] [6], (d) sanctions‑related market exits (Apple pulled or reduced operations in markets under U.S. sanctions in past years — e.g., Iran — as reported historically) [8], (e) product‑packaging or accessory regulations (Brazil’s charger rules), and (f) temporary or negotiable restrictions where companies may comply and reverse the measure (Indonesia negotiations noted) [5] [2]. Treat any headline that says “iPhone banned in X” by asking which of these categories the action fits [1] [3] [4].
7. Bottom line and reporting gaps
Based on the supplied reporting, Indonesia stands out in 2024–2025 for a formal ban on the iPhone 16 sales tied to local‑content industrial policy [1] [5] [2]. China and Russia have imposed restrictions on government use of Apple devices rather than blanket consumer bans [3] [6]. Regulatory or court orders in places like France have stopped sales of specific iPhone models for safety/legal reasons [4]. Available sources do not provide a comprehensive list of countries that have banned all Apple products universally as of 2025; many claims online conflate different types of measures without that nuance (not found in current reporting).