Apple Blocks Iranian Users From App Store, Bows To Government Demands

Bowing to the demands of the Iranian government, Apple has decided to block users in the country from its App Store. It’s unlikely that the Cupertino firm would have chosen to do this on its own, but it does seem to be following the trend of targeting any apps coming out of Iran and banning them. As of now, no one in Iran can officially shop for and download the iOS app.

Whenever users in the country try to access the Apple App Store, all they will see is an error message that reads “The App Store is unavailable in the country or region you’re in,” Venture Beat reports. It doesn’t appear that the users were warned of the development, which resulted in iOS users getting blindsided by the restriction of access.

Due to U.S. sanctions leveled at Iran, Apple has not been able to establish an official base in the country. The company was only able to sell its products in the middle east nation due to a technicality, which reads “certain services, software, and hardware incident to personal communications.” This covers its mobile devices, provided they are used in a very narrow set of actions that are allowed.

With regards to the reason for the blocking of access, the Iranian government has since been treating Apple products with suspicion following the maintenance of the sanctions by the U.S. in 2015. In 2016, the country’s leadership has tried to curtail the flow of Apple products into Iran, even threatening a ban.

Unfortunately for the government, this only led to even more iPhones making it into the country. These gadgets largely came from Hong Kong and Dubai, MacRumors reports.

In any case, Apple device owners in Iran now have limited options as far as access to iOS apps is concerned, but there are still ways to get around the issue. VPNs could be viable solutions for those who absolutely need to gain access to the App Store while in Iran.