Apple aims to make most of its iPhones sold in the United States at factories in India by the end of 2026, and is speeding up those plans to navigate potentially higher tariffs in China, its main manufacturing base, a source told Reuters.
Apple is holding urgent talks with contract manufacturers Foxconn and Tata to achieve that goal, said the person, who declined to be named as the planning process is confidential.
Apple, Tata and Foxconn did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Apple sells over 60 million iPhones in the US annually, with roughly 80 per cent of them made in China. The tech giant is now looking to move the majority of that production to India, the source said.
Apple has already stepped up production in India to beat US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, shipping some 600 tonnes of iPhones worth US$2 billion to the United States in March.
The shipments from India marked a record for both its contractor,s Tata and Foxconn, with the latter alone accounting for smartphones worth US$1.3 billion, Reuters reported last week.
In April, the US administration imposed 26 per cent duties on imports from India, much lower than the more than 100 per cent China was facing at the time. Washington has since paused most duties for three months, except for China.
Trump’s administration has since signalled openness to de-escalating the trade war between the world’s two largest economies that has raised fears of recession.
The Financial Times first reported about Apple’s plan on Friday.
As Apple diversifies its manufacturing beyond China, it has positioned India for a critical role. Foxconn and Tata, its two main suppliers there, have three factories in all, with two more being built.
