A change within the iOS 16.1.1 replace for Chinese customers is popping some heads. Apple is limiting the “Everyone” choice in AirDrop to 10 minutes on iPhones bought in mainland China, in line with on-line consumer reviews. That means folks can now not maintain their Airdrop on for a limiteless time, together with for strangers and contacts.
Some argue that this characteristic ought to have lengthy been an choice for all Apple customers — generally one simply forgets to change Airdrop off and find yourself with unsolicited content material from unknown customers — however others interpret the choice as Apple’s response to current incidents in China.
Airdrop, which makes use of Bluetooth Low Energy and peer-to-peer wifi expertise to allow immediate file transferring, stays one of many few uncensored communication medium in China, which is why folks have been utilizing the characteristic to share politically delicate content material with others in current weeks because the nation’s high management reshuffled.
Despite the rise of native rivals like Huawei and Oppo, Apple has managed to carry onto its dominance in China, particularly amongst extra prosperous demographics. In the second quarter, iPhones accounted for 13% of handset shipments in China, in line with Counterpoint’s analysis, down from 18% and 22% in Q1 and This fall respectively.
It’s commonplace for Apple to introduce region-specific restrictions to abide by native laws. In EU international locations, for instance, customers can’t exceed the EU Volume Level because of listening to safety requirements. In China, Apple has a historical past of making use of extra stringent guidelines on content-related providers, together with video games and podcasts, a intently watched space by the native authorities.