Apple Aims to Mitigate Tariffs by Sourcing All US-Bound iPhones From India

Apple has reportedly accelerated its plan to source all its iPhones for the U.S. from India, in response to new U.S. tariffs.

While the company previously planned to increasingly prioritize India-made iPhones for sale in the U.S., it now plans to get all its U.S.-bound iPhones from India by the end of 2026, Bloomberg reported Friday (April 25).

Apple plans to double its production of iPhones in India from the 40 million units assembled in the country during the fiscal year ended in March to 80 million, according to the report. During the year ended in March, it increased its production in India by 60%.

The company’s iPhone sales in the U.S. currently total 60 million units, the report said.

Apple and its suppliers began moving away from China during the pandemic, but that shift sped up after the U.S. announced tariffs and new tensions arose during the two countries, per the report.

Although the Trump Administration exempted smartphones and other electronics from its reciprocal tariffs, it left in place another 20% tariff on China, according to the report.

It was reported April 7 that Apple planned to send more iPhones made in India to supply the U.S. market as a way to deal with U.S. tariffs.

Making the products in the U.S. — which is the stated goal of the new tariffs for all goods — is a “nonstarter” because that would be much more expensive than paying the tariff, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Apple also stocked up on iPhones ahead of the tariffs — which should delay the impact of the tariffs until into the next quarter — and the company is likely to squeeze its suppliers and lower its margins in order to keep the prices of the devices from soaring.

On April 10, it was reported that Apple flew as many as 1.5 million iPhones into the U.S. as an anti-tariff measure. The company campaigned to get Indian airport authorities to cut the time needed to make it through customs from 30 hours down to just six hours.

Apple “wanted to beat the tariff,” a source told Reuters at the time.

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