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Google Pixel is the next phone to be banned from sale in Indonesia. Photo: Bloomberg

In a press conference on October 31, Indonesian Industry Ministry spokesman Febri Hendri Antoni Arief said that the sale of Google Pixel phones in the country is illegal. An estimated 22,000 devices have entered the market through the post or hand-carried, according to Kontan news agency.

Recently, Southeast Asia's largest economy also banned the sale of the iPhone 16 because Apple failed to fulfill its investment commitment. According to Mr. Arief, the iPhone maker is asking to meet with Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita to discuss the ban, although no date has been set.

Bloomberg commented that the move signals Indonesia's willingness to strengthen its restrictive policies on foreign businesses to ensure greater investment.

Smartphone and tablet manufacturers are required to meet local content of up to 40% depending on the scale of domestic operations.

They can comply by manufacturing equipment, developing software or investing in innovation in Indonesia.

According to Indonesia's Industry Ministry, Apple has set up developer academies here but the investment amount is only 1.5 trillion rupiah ($95 million), lower than the 1.7 trillion rupiah committed.

Rivals such as Samsung Electronics and Xiaomi are opening factories in the country.

At $1 trillion, Indonesia is a potential growth market with more than 350 million active mobile phones — far more than its population of 270 million, according to government data.

Neither Google nor Apple made it into the country's top five smartphone brands last year.

(According to Bloomberg)