The iPhone 6 will be sold in China starting Oct. 17, after regulator scrutiny led to Apple reassuring the Chinese government that the devices didn't have security "backdoors" to allow U.S. agencies to access users' data.
Apple won approval to sell the new devices after dealing with risks of personal information leaks related to the operating system's diagnostic tools, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on its website.
The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were released on Sept 19 in most major markets, including the United States, but regulatory delay meant Chinese consumers had to wait.
Most analysts were surprised by the lack of a China launch date since Apple stressed the importance of the world's biggest smartphone market on more than one occasion.
"iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom," Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said in a press release on Tuesday.
Apple and other tech companies from the U.S. have been subject to greater scrutiny as of late in China after U.S. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden revealed spying and surveillance campaigns in 2013.
Apple was accused by Chinese state media of providing user data to U.S. agencies back in July. The tech company responded by denying the existence of backdoors, according to Reuters.
The MIIT confirmed that it finalized "rigorous security testing" on the iPhone 6 and held talks with the company on the issue. Apple shared with the ministry materials related to possible security issues.
One of the major concerns brought up was over a third party's ability to take control of a computer that had been given trusted access to the phone by a specific user. They also questioned Apple on the ability of staff repairing iPhones to access user data through background services, according to Reuters.
Apple responded to the MIIT by saying it had adopted new security measures in its latest operating system, iOS 8, and promised it had never installed backdoors into its products or services to allow for any government agency in any country.
Analysts expect the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus to sell well in China, where most people prefer phones with larger screens.
Apple's new devices will be available on all three of China's state-owned wireless carriers, including: China Mobile, China Unicom Hong Kong, and China Telecom Corp Ltd.
The three had more than 1.27 billion mobile subscribers in August, according to Reuters.
The iPhone 6 will be available in gold, silver and gray with a suggested retail price of 5,288 yuan ($860.16) for the cheapest model with 16GB of storage.
The iPhone 6 Plus, in the same colors, will be 6,088 yuan ($990.29) for the cheapest model, also with 16GB of storage. The most expensive iPhone 6 Plus with 128GB storage will be 7,788 yuan ($1,266.82).
The Cupertino, California-based company sold a record 10 million iPhone 6 handsets in the first weekend after their launch, which excluded China.
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