According to a recent report the App Store has been shut down in Iran. Users first reported not being able to access it around noon on Wednesday.
Iranian security experts ruled that the App Store filters out Iranian users based on their IP addresses. Some users reported being able to access the service using a Virtual Private Network service. Even users having an Iranian account were able to use VPN and get into the App Store.
By contrast, users in Iran who created a US-based account to dodge the ban were unable to access the service.
Iranian security expert Meysam Firouzi insisted that the ban is IP-based. Firouzi too was able to connect to the service via a VPN. The App Store did not block him despite his account details hinting that he was from Iran.
Apple Remains Silent on Why the App Store Has Been Shut Down in Iran
Apple has yet to respond to a request for comment. It is not the first time, however, that the U.S. company bans something from Iran. In the past, it removed apps created by developers living in Iran from the App Store, citing U.S. laws.
Back then, the U.S. giant explained that the App Store cannot store or distribute Iranian apps or do business with developers from that country as long as the U.S. sanctions are in place. Apple called Iran a ‘U.S. embargoed country’.
Ironically, Apple is conducting business in Iran even though there is no Apple store there. Developers often access the App Stores in other states to reach the Iranian audience. What’s more, because of the sanctions, the iPhone maker cannot sell its phones in Iran.
Iranians import the products from Hong Kong. This doesn’t prevent Iranian users from having the latest iPhone model within 24 after its global launch. This has at least happened with the iPhone 8 models.
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