Indonesia has officially banned the sale of Google Pixel and Apple’s iPhone 16, citing that these devices fail to meet the country’s requirement of 40% locally manufactured components.
This rule, part of Indonesia’s efforts to attract foreign investment and boost local manufacturing, applies to any smartphone sold domestically.
According to Febri Hendri Antoni Arief, a spokesperson from Indonesia’s Ministry of Industry, “We are pushing these rules to ensure fairness for all investors in Indonesia.”
While Google and Apple phones can still be purchased abroad, they are barred from local commercial sales without meeting the 40% content threshold.
The ban follows the implementation of similar restrictions on other smartphones that do not adhere to these local content guidelines.
Indonesia, a key Southeast Asian market with a young, tech-savvy population, is an attractive region for tech investments.
However, industry experts warn that these protectionist policies could impact investor confidence and lead to challenges for international brands in Indonesia’s growing tech market.
