[VERGE] Apple is locking down the iPhone App Store to comply with a new law in China

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Apple’s iPhone App Store in China is getting a whole lot more locked down.

China recently updated an existing online software regulation to lay out strict criteria for app stores and apps in the country, and after looking for ways around it, Apple has started to comply.

Now, as Apple honors the regulation, it closes a loophole that had let iPhone users in China download and, with a VPN, use apps that the government there has blocked for most or all of the country, like WhatsApp, Facebook, and YouTube.

Reuters writes that, in order for an app to qualify for an ICP license, they are “effectively” required to host their back end in China.

Apple was pushing back on the requirement, but app stores from Tencent, Huawei, and others had apparently already complied with the rule.

We asked Apple for a comment and whether the rule has affected any apps yet but did not receive a response by press time.

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