Practically it’s a no op. To use WhatsApp or Threads I need an app to bypass the GFW, which is not available on Chinese App Store. So I have an American Apple ID to download a proxying app. Then there is no point for me to download those two apps from the Chinese App Store even back when they still existed.
What I’m really afraid of is that someday iPhones within China won’t be able to login to Apple Store in another region.
Instagram and TikTok don’t work in China without a VPN. I’d be surprised if other Meta apps worked either. Most apps in China require a Chinese phone number to fully work too.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/17/china-lobbying-tikt...
> In a statement, embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu said that the “Chinese Embassy in the US tries to tell the truth about the TikTok issue to people from all walks of life in the US.”
> “This is not about lobbying for a single company,” the spokesperson added, “but about whether all Chinese companies can be treated fairly.”
> In the wake of the House bill’s passage, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the legislation “puts the US on the wrong side of the principles of fair competition and international trade rules.”
Hypocrites. Pass the TikTok bill.
> “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” an Apple spokesman said.
That sure didn't happen in the EU, did it?
Is Apple just more scared of China?