In the same week that Apple's decision to pull a Hong Kong protest app from the App Store drew heavy criticism, a new report from BuzzFeed News claims the company has asked Apple TV+ show runners to avoid negative depictions of China.

appletvplus
As early as 2018, when Apple's original programming production got underway, company executives reportedly gave guidance to some show creators to "avoid portraying China in a bad light."

According to the news outlet's sources, the instruction was given by Apple software and services VP Eddy Cue, as well Morgan Wandell, Apple's head of international content development.

The attempt to steer content creators away from perceived criticism of China is said to be part of Apple's efforts to stay in its good books and avoid a repeat of April 2016, when the Chinese State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television shut down the iTunes Movies and iBooks stores, just six months after they had launched in the country.

The store closures were linked to the release of a controversial movie banned in China that imagines Hong Kong in 2025 with language police, mini Red Guards, radical protest and social alienation rife.

One show maker not connected to Apple told BuzzFeed News that the company's appeasement of Beijing is nothing new in the U.S. movie industry, which China has heavily invested in.

Apple's tip toeing around the Chinese government isn't unusual in Hollywood. It's an accepted practice."They all do it," one showrunner who was not affiliated with Apple told BuzzFeed News. "They have to if they want to play in that market. And they all want to play in that market. Who wouldn't?"

BuzzFeed News also spoke to one app developer who said that getting a phone call from Apple about an issue with China is not uncommon. "It's not a line of communication that would be open to any discussion," said the U.S. technology executive. "They have so much market power in general and they wield that pretty indiscriminately."

Apple CEO Tim Cook told employees on Thursday that the decision to remove the HKmap Live app from the ‌App Store‌ was based on information the company had received that it was being used to target individuals, property, and police, and violated local laws.

Earlier the same day, Apple also removed the app of news outlet Quartz from China's ‌‌App Store‌‌. The news organization said Apple removed its mobile app after complaints from the Chinese government about content in the app that is illegal in China."

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Top Rated Comments

scwinsett Avatar
74 months ago
"They have to if they want to play in that market. And they all want to play in that market. Who wouldn't?"

Who wouldn’t? People with human decency that put values above money. **** this sellout, **** corporate greed, and **** the Chinese government.
keep your Tegridy!
Score: 61 Votes (Like | Disagree)
G3Blue Avatar
74 months ago
Grow a pair apple
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FlyingDutch Avatar
74 months ago
I’m the biggest Apple fan out there, but Tim Cook have to leave his position as a CEO immediately. Apple should leave China immediately. China have to be isolated from the rest of the world, until their own population will get rid of that government.
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IPPlanMan Avatar
74 months ago
Shame on you Tim and shame on Apple as a whole.

Chinese Blood Money has corrupted you through and through. Disgusting.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
keysofanxiety Avatar
74 months ago
I thought South Park was meant to be satire, not a verbatim reflection on what’s happening in the world.
Score: 42 Votes (Like | Disagree)
_Refurbished_ Avatar
74 months ago

I thought South Park was meant to be satire, not a verbatim reflection on what’s happening in the world.
South Park is about the realist form of media out there, unfortunately. It’s hilarious because it’s true.

Also, Tim is swine. Always has been, always will be. His corporate keynotes are puke-worthy. Huge hypocrite. Can see through that man like a window into the Apple Store.

This is 2019, though, where shareholders have more power than the government. It’s hard to run a corporation that isn’t terrible in 2019. Look at Bob Iger and Disney. Zero creativity. The company is all about $$$$. Apple is just another victim of a second-rate CEO ruining a company’s values.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 21, 2025 2:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are around three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices from credible sources. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X...
iPhone 16 Battery Life Feature

iOS 26's New Battery Life Mode Available Only on These iPhone Models

Saturday June 21, 2025 9:02 am PDT by
Last week, we reported that iOS 26 introduces an opt-in Adaptive Power Mode on the iPhone, alongside the existing Low Power Mode. Apple says that Adaptive Power Mode can make "small performance adjustments" when necessary to extend an iPhone's battery life, including slightly lowering the display brightness or allowing some activities to "take a little longer." The full description of...
All Screen iPhone 2027 Feature 1

iPhone Reportedly Moving to All-Screen Design in Two Stages

Sunday June 22, 2025 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple has long been working towards an iPhone with an all-screen design, and it might finally achieve the feat in a few more years from now. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that Apple will shrink the size of the Dynamic Island on new iPhone models released next year. A year after that, he expects Apple to release a redesigned 20th-anniversary iPhone model....
ios 26 control center b2

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 2

Monday June 23, 2025 2:57 pm PDT by
Apple provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26, introducing the first changes and refinements to the new operating system since it debuted after the WWDC keynote. Because we're early in the beta testing process, there are quite a few tweaks to iOS 26, which we've rounded up below. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Control Center The background behind the...
ios 26 control center b2

iOS 26 Beta 2 Fixes Control Center Design

Monday June 23, 2025 10:58 am PDT by
With the second beta of iOS 26 that Apple provided to developers today, Apple addressed one of the major complaints that people have had with Liquid Glass. iOS 26 beta 1 on left, iOS 26 beta 2 on right The Control Center buttons are now slightly more opaque, making it easier to see the different control options even on a multicolored background. The new, more opaque look is apparent with the ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro's Alleged Vapor Chamber Cooling System Partly Revealed

Sunday June 22, 2025 6:37 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models are rumored to be equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, and a leaker known as Majin Bu today shared a photo of an alleged copper thermal plate for the system. Many high-end Android smartphones like Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra are equipped with a vapor chamber cooling system, which can manage heat dissipation inside the...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Tuesday June 24, 2025 3:40 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

watchOS 26 Adding a Smaller Yet Useful New Watch Face Setting

Monday June 23, 2025 9:39 am PDT by
watchOS 26 is adding a new "Show Data When Locked" setting to the Apple Watch. MacRumors contributor Steve Moser discovered the new setting within the code for the first watchOS 26 beta, and a Reddit user has seemingly found it in action, but we have yet to figure out where it is exactly. Leave a comment if you know. The new privacy setting allows you to toggle on or off the ability to...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adding Two New Wi-Fi Features, Allows AirDrop and AirPlay Alternatives

Saturday June 21, 2025 7:02 am PDT by
iOS 26 is gaining two new Wi-Fi features, including Captive Assist and Wi-Fi Aware. MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a reference to Captive Assist within the code for the first iOS 26 developer beta, but Apple has yet to enable the feature. It should be available by the time the software update is released later this year. In his Power On newsletter last month, Bloomberg's...