Apple avoids iPhone ban in India by approving regulator's anti-spam app for download from the App Store

Apple has ended a standoff with the telecommunications regulator of India, approving TRAI's anti-spam app for inclusion in the App Store, a move that also allows Apple to avoid threats from the regulator that could have led to the banning of iPhones from the country's mobile networks.

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)'s DND - Do Not Disturb app, is an attempt by the Indian government to cut down on the amount of unwanted marketing calls or spam text messages. Once a mobile number is registered, the app can be used to log complaints of unwanted calls, a problem that has plagued mobile users in markets around the world.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed to VentureBeat the app has gone live in the iOS App Store today.

The addition of the app to the App Store arrives after a long, protracted disagreement between Apple and TRAI over the app. While the Android version of the app launched in June 2016, the iPhone equivalent was held off from being made available due to Apple's belief it infringed too much on a user's privacy, with its policies typically preventing third-party apps from acquiring call and text log data.

One year ago, Apple advised it would work with the regulator to produce a limited version of the app that would find acceptable to distribute, but as the months rolled on, the dispute failed to be resolved.

In July, TRAI introduced new regulations that would force carriers to only use smartphones on its network that worked with spam reporting apps like TRAI DND, and to prevent devices that wouldn't work with the app from accessing the network. While TRAI could not directly ban iPhones, it did have the authority to pressure carriers into actions that would provide a similar effect.

Similar demands from TRAI were made in August, but the regulator added the possibility of challenging Apple's disobedience in court. The approval of the app effectively brings an end to the standoff.

Apple did introduce a call reporting framework in iOS 12, which enabled the creation of spam and nuisance call-reporting tools. It is unclear if TRAI's app was approved because it uses the framework and follows App Store policies, or if Apple ultimately gave in to demands.

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28 Comments

osmartormenajr 286 comments · 11 Years

About 5 years ago

... It is unclear if TRAI's app was approved because it uses the framework and follows App Store policies, or if Apple ultimately gave in to demands.

At this day and age, I fear it's the latter. No matter your nationality, ideology, or education (I'm an engineer BTW), if you can remember high school history, you can recognize that we are frogs in a warming pot. We are just letting too much slide...

gutengel 363 comments · 7 Years

So, is it the consumers choice to download and install this spywear, or it has to installed to be able to use an iPhone in India?

canukstorm 2740 comments · 11 Years

osmartormenajr said:

... It is unclear if TRAI's app was approved because it uses the framework and follows App Store policies, or if Apple ultimately gave in to demands.

At this day and age, I fear it's the latter. No matter your nationality, ideology, or education (I'm an engineer BTW), if you can remember high school history, you can recognize that we are frogs in a warming pot. We are just letting too much slide...

No one is above the law. You want to play in someone else's backyard, you play by their rules or don't play at all.

aaronsullivan 140 comments · 16 Years

canukstorm said:

osmartormenajr said:

... It is unclear if TRAI's app was approved because it uses the framework and follows App Store policies, or if Apple ultimately gave in to demands.

At this day and age, I fear it's the latter. No matter your nationality, ideology, or education (I'm an engineer BTW), if you can remember high school history, you can recognize that we are frogs in a warming pot. We are just letting too much slide...

No one is above the law. You want to play in someone else's backyard, you play by their rules or don't play at all.

I think that is part of the point, though, right? The eroding of privacy and rights as businesses succumb to the laws of countries that don't respect them. At least that's the way I was reading it.

arthurba 146 comments · 16 Years

canukstorm said:

osmartormenajr said:

... It is unclear if TRAI's app was approved because it uses the framework and follows App Store policies, or if Apple ultimately gave in to demands.

At this day and age, I fear it's the latter. No matter your nationality, ideology, or education (I'm an engineer BTW), if you can remember high school history, you can recognize that we are frogs in a warming pot. We are just letting too much slide...

No one is above the law. You want to play in someone else's backyard, you play by their rules or don't play at all.

@Canukstorm - I think the tech industry like to believe otherwise. Case in point: Uber. Most countries required 'hire cars and taxis' to use special number plates etc. when Uber set up - they just ignored this regulation. Ditto AirBnB (hotels are supposed to collect stats for gov and pay taxes per guest/night). Tech call this 'disruptive', wheras lawyers call it 'illegal'. Now both Uber and AirBnB co-operate a bit more with regulatory authorities, but largely they've been successful in 'disrupting' markets that were closed by regulation and created wealth for themselves and their customers (drivers/landlords) in the process - that money hasn't come from nowhere - the incumbents have had the money taken away from them by a company that just ignored the rules.

For iPhone and AirBnB and Uber, the reason why they were successful at breaking the rules was their popularity. In democracies the government is always reticent to move against a person or company that is extremely popular for fear of the next election results. But that popularity has its limits. When taxi drivers start protesting and blocking the streets or your customers are getting SPAM'd then the argument of the incumbent begins to cut through.

I think the new framework in iOS 12 is they key here - Apple are beginning to acknowledge that SPAM is a problem. I think they'd prefer a consumer focussed solution (eg: call block) but where they operate in a company that operates a DND register, then for consumers it makes sense to offer that as an option.