A report that came up last weekend stated that Apple had sold less than 1 million iPhones in India till date in this year. But as the events further unfolded, it seems that there’s no end to Apple’s troubles as sales numbers are not the only thing it has to worry about.
As it stands now, The India Telecom Regulatory Authority, also known as TRAI, has revised its policy to reduce spam calls and text messages in the country, which spells trouble for Apple. Part of this revised policy is a requirement that the carriers must allow the customers to download a ‘Do Not Disturb’ application so that they can report spam calls and messages. And all through these years, Apple has not acceded to allowing the application in App Store owing to privacy concerns. The app would need access to call and message logs, which Apple did not agree to.
However, TRAI just upscaled Apple’s troubles by publishing new regulations making it a compulsion that all customers be allowed to get the Do Not Disturb application on their device, for both iPhone or iPad users. As per India Today, TRAI stated that companies and carriers have 6 months to ensure that all smartphone devices allow the application, which means that companies like Apple have to give in to the mandate soon.
Not only this, but if Apple and other companies continue to resist the Indian government’s anti-spam app, TRAI says that it will force all such carriers to remove those devices from their networks. To put it in simpler terms, this means that all iPhones would lose access to 3G, 4G, and voice service in effect:
Every Access Provider shall ensure, within six months’ time, that all smart phone devices registered on its network support the permissions required for the functioning of such Apps as prescribed in the regulations 6(2)(e) and regulations 23(2)(d). – TRAI notes
“Provided that where such devices do not permit functioning of such Apps as prescribed in regulations 6(2)(e) and regulations 23(2)(d), Access Providers shall, on the order or direction of the Authority, derecognize such devices from their telecom networks.”
As of now, it is still not clear that how will Apple deal with this situation. As per a report last year, it was claimed that Apple would create an anti spam app but the project has been kept on hold for a few months.
As for all the Apple fans, they can only hope that the Apple team sorts out this problem, settling for a resolution that would safeguard both the customers’ and Apple’s interests as well as not violate the policy conditions laid down by TRAI recently.
