Apple (AAPL.O) has joined local rivals in requiring new apps on its China App Store to have a Chinese government license to comply with tighter state rules. Apple’s developer website stated that app makers must submit the “internet content provider (ICP) filing” when publishing new apps on the App Store starting Friday.
Most local app retailers, notably Tencent (0700. HK) and Huawei (HWT.UL), have embraced an ICP filing since 2017. Many overseas applications have struggled to secure ICP filing licenses since they need a Chinese corporation or a local publisher.
Apple’s permissive ICP policy has allowed it to provide more mobile applications than local app rivals and improve its appeal in China, its third-largest market after the Americas and Europe.
Apple moved after China strengthened its mobile app monitoring in August by forcing app retailers and developers to submit an “app filing” with business data to authorities. Chinese officials named the first mobile app retailers that filed apps last week, but Apple’s App Store was not included.
A request for comment from Apple was ignored. App Store compliance may affect hundreds of thousands of applications in China, including popular international apps like X, previously Twitter, and Telegram, which gained popularity amid COVID-19 shutdown demonstrations last year.
As Beijing prioritizes security, certain government entities have banned iPhone use, Reuters reported last month.
Rich Bishop, CEO of AppInChina, said requiring ICP disclosures from developers puts Apple closer to China compliance. Last month, local Android app shops required apps to have a Chinese backend due to the August regulation expansion.
Apple’s move has worried developers on social media that it may tighten limits to comply with China’s regulations. Jinyu Meng, an independent developer, said on X, “If my apps can’t be launched in China without app filing, I will take down my apps [there].”
Some Chinese iPhone users remarked on X that they may need to utilize foreign Apple IDs to access their favorite applications.
Applications without correct files will bepenalizedd once the grace period ends in March next year, while freshly produced applications must comply from September.
