Apple plans to move the assembly of all iPhones sold in the US from China to India by the end of 2026, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke with the Financial Times.
The Financial Times reports that in a major pivot driven by the ongoing trade war between the US and China, Apple is aiming to source the entirety of its U.S. iPhone supply from India as soon as next year. The tech giant, which has spent nearly two decades building up a world-class manufacturing operation in China after signing a secret $275 billion deal, now faces mounting pressure from President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports.
The shift to India represents a significant acceleration of Apple’s strategy to diversify its supply chain away from China. The company has a goal to have all of the over 60 million iPhones sold annually in the U.S. assembled in India by 2026. This would effectively double Apple’s current iPhone output in the country.
Apple has been steadily increasing its manufacturing capacity in India in recent years through partnerships with contract manufacturers like Tata Electronics and Foxconn. However, the vast majority of iPhone assembly still takes place in China.
Assembly is the final stage of iPhone production, with hundreds of components sourced from suppliers, many of which are still based in China. In the rush to avoid higher tariffs following Trump’s announcements, Apple briefly exported Indian-made iPhones to the U.S. in a massive airlift.
The US market accounts for roughly 28 percent of Apple’s global iPhone shipments, which totaled 232.1 million units in 2024 based on data from IDC. To fulfill all U.S. orders from India, Apple will need to significantly ramp up its production capabilities in the country.
As part of the recent push, Foxconn and Tata have begun importing pre-assembled component sets from China to integrate into iPhones in their Indian facilities. Analysts believe the move is critical for Apple to sustain its growth trajectory.
The iPhone maker is due to report quarterly earnings next week, as investors try to gauge the impact of Trump’s tariff regime. CEO Tim Cook has engaged regularly with Trump and his administration since attending his inauguration in January 2025. Apple declined to comment on its plans.
Read more at the Financial Times here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
