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China IOS Apple

Apple Hides Taiwan Flag in Hong Kong (emojipedia.org) 74

Posted by msmash from the different-country,-different-standard dept.
iPhone users in Hong Kong have noticed a change in the latest version of iOS: the Flag for Taiwan emoji is missing. From a report: Previously restricted on Chinese iOS devices, all other regions of the world have continued to enjoy access to all flags in the iOS emoji font, until now. The change, first discovered by iOS Developer Hiraku Wang, means that users with an iOS device region set to Hong Kong will see one less flag on the emoji keyboard than if the region is set to anywhere else in the world (other than China mainland, which also hides this flag). Notably, the emoji Flag: Taiwan is still supported by iOS in Hong Kong. As of iOS 13.1.2, released last week, this is now hidden from the emoji keyboard but remains available by other means. Apple's Hong Kong approach differs from the complete ban on the emoji in China. Any iPhone purchased in China, or purchased elsewhere with the region set to China mainland, replaces the flag of Taiwan with a missing character tofu so it cannot be used or displayed in any app, even via copy and paste.
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Apple Hides Taiwan Flag in Hong Kong More

Apple Hides Taiwan Flag in Hong Kong

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  • GET OUT OF MY COUNTY apple! (Score:3)

    by Joe_Dragon ( 2206452 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @02:32PM (#59280186)

    GET OUT OF MY COUNTY apple!

    Stop bending over to china!

  • COURAGE (Score:5, Insightful)

    by bazmail ( 764941 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @02:37PM (#59280218)
    Take a bow Cook you spinelsss insect.

  • Courage (Score:5, Insightful)

    by chuckugly ( 2030942 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @02:37PM (#59280224)

    At least they were brave enough to get rid of the headphone jack.

  • Shameful (Score:4, Insightful)

    by 110010001000 ( 697113 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @02:38PM (#59280232) Homepage Journal

    All the money hungry corporations have no soul. We should support freedom and democracy always, not just when it is profitable. Apple sucks.

  • If they had balls... (Score:3)

    by Oswald McWeany ( 2428506 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @02:42PM (#59280280)

    If they had balls, they'd replace all the Chinese flags with Taiwanese flags for a day for a laugh.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      If they got rid of all of the flags for a day, i'm pretty sure no one will care.

      • If they got rid of all of the flags for a day, i'm pretty sure no one will care.

        If they got rid of all the flags, no one would care until someone (most likely a Russian/Ukrainian/Chinese/Iranian election troll) posted about it on Facebook. Then, suddenly everyone would care. It would be the lead news story on every channel.

        And then tomorrow, it would be something else.

      • Imagine there's no borders, it's easy if you try...

    • > eplace all the Chinese flags with Taiwanese flags for a day for a laugh.

      That sounds like a job for the company who bid Pi billion dollars for the Nortel patents, after having earlier bid Brun's constant, and had filed for an e billion stock offering. (Google)

    • Re:If they had balls... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by PolygamousRanchKid ( 1290638 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @03:24PM (#59280490)

      If they had balls, they'd replace all the Chinese flags with Taiwanese flags for a day for a laugh.

      A perfect gag for Slashdot on April Fool's Day . . . any story tagged "China" would show a Taiwanese flag.

      . . . and pink ponies.

    • If they had balls, they would come up with some new and interesting products, and not just keep making the same crap 1mm thinner per year.

      • Just wait, we'll seen get a -1mm product, so thin that it folds itself (and space and time as a bonus).

  • From a pure numbers standpoint, Apple needs the mainland Chinese market a lot more than it needs to support Hong Kong's autonomy or Taiwan. It seems increasingly likely that China is just going to go in an reclaim Hong Kong at some point, and I guess Apple wants to stay on their good side once that's all settled.

    • ...It seems increasingly likely that China is just going to go in an reclaim Hong Kong at some point...

      [bold italic mine...]

      No need to reclaim. Hong Kong is already part of China, the British having ceded control in the late 90s. China is just being "gentleman-like" here. They can do whatever they want and everyone else will just whine from a distance.

      Want to know why I say this? Just read about China's artificial islands and the attitude handed to the Americans. All they can do is to look as development/construction continues on.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Agripa ( 139780 )

      From a pure numbers standpoint, Apple needs the mainland Chinese market a lot more than it needs to support Hong Kong's autonomy or Taiwan. It seems increasingly likely that China is just going to go in an reclaim Hong Kong at some point, and I guess Apple wants to stay on their good side once that's all settled.

      How much good will will Apple require after the current Hong Kong situation gets out of control with Chinese intervention and protesters start taking shots at Apple's interests? Apple just (further) chose a side and it was not the side of any freedom.

  • What a worthless a-hole. I will never buy an Apple device again. I encourage my customer, friends, and relatives to do the same. Frak that company.

  • When will Cascadia get it's flag? (Score:3)

    by WillAffleckUW ( 858324 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @03:09PM (#59280426) Homepage Journal

    I mean, just replace the Hong Kong flag with the Cascadian flag when you're in China, and the Taiwan flag with the Space Force flag.

  • Capitalism in action (Score:3)

    by GameboyRMH ( 1153867 ) <gameboyrmh@@@gmail...com> on Monday October 07, 2019 @03:17PM (#59280446) Journal

    Capitalism means companies are most loyal to the governments containing the biggest markets.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Kjella ( 173770 )

      Capitalism means companies are most loyal to the governments containing the biggest markets.

      That you don't bite the hand that feeds you probably precedes capitalism by thousands of years.

    • So a government threatens companies with punitive action if they don't comply with the government's politics, and you somehow blame this on capitalism?

      This incident is the very definition of government interference in the free market. Customers want the flag. Companies want to provide the flag to make customers happy. But the government doesn't want the flag, and coerces companies into hiding the flag. This should be a huge cautionary example for anyone who thinks it's a good idea for government to hav

      • There will always be large bodies regulating social standards/political correctness, whether they're governments (democratic or otherwise), corporations, or warlords. So this isn't necessarily a problem with governments.

  • Did anyone else picture apple sneaking into Hong Kong and hiding Taiwan flags around? I thought maybe it was protesters hiding the flags to annoy governmental forces as some kind of silent protest. The headline really should read "Apple removes Taiwan flag emoji from Hong Kong iPhones"

  • Every country imposes requirements on manufacturers of devices or service providers that some person(s) might object to.

    If you choose to do business in that country, you play ball, or you leave. How you pick which ones that are tolerable enough to live with is the question -- and don't imagine that it's moral principles that define it. It's how much a company wants to stomach the loss of that business.

    Saudi Arabia (and many others) prevent the installation of Whats App, etc. on phones activated there

  • It would be nice if the west could grow a pair and collectively tell China we're not going to play their games anymore.

    We've tolerated this crap for too long, and it seems like things are coming to a head.

    • The time to do that was before letting China get "the bomb" and before shipping all the manufacturing over there. It would be quite painful to put an end to it now.

      Should have just bombed them out of existence in 1950.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Agripa ( 139780 )

      It would be nice if the west could grow a pair and collectively tell China we're not going to play their games anymore.

      We've tolerated this crap for too long, and it seems like things are coming to a head.

      Are you willing to go to war over what happens to Hong Kong (and eventually Taiwan)? The UK was not.

  • The current official map [quora.com] of this former American ally which the US betrayed in 1970s.

    In you can't read Chinese, here are the summary:
    - the ROC map includes Tibet
    - the ROC map includes Xinjiang
    - the ROC map includes the islands of the South China Sea
    - and the ROC map includes the island of Taiwan!

  • That's it. They don't exist to improve society, or uphold morals. China is the largest market in the world, and excluding yourself from it because you refuse to play by their disgusting rules on moral grounds means failing as a corporation.

    That's the reality of capitalism. You chase an extra 1% growth this quarter no matter how many morals have to be bent, or lives have to be ruined, to get it. If you don't like it, then I have a news flash for you: you don't like Capitalism.

    • That's it. They don't exist to improve society, or uphold morals. China is the largest market in the world, and excluding yourself from it because you refuse to play by their disgusting rules on moral grounds means failing as a corporation.

      But look how much the Job Creators spend in lobbying. [opensecrets.org] It's not just share holders that are benefiting, is it?

      • Well that was 2016 election spending, here's 20 years of the top lobbyists [opensecrets.org] that I meant to include.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by gtall ( 79522 )

          If you want to see the real corruption, pick up the "Kochland" book, election spending is peanuts compared to what that diseased pair of fetid dingos kidneys did. One is still alive, he's the nastier of the two brothers. G-d took the wrong one. Intelligent design my ass....

          • And while we're exposing the Kochs using their money to influence politics, lets look at the impact Soros has had with his so called "open society" foundation.

            You and I both know it'll always be one side calling out the other, while turning a blind eye to their own "benefactors".

    • If you don't like it, then I have a news flash for you: you don't like Capitalism.

      I have news for you: if you enjoy having all the shit that you have that has been produced as a result of Capitalism, then you DO like Capitalism.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AHuxley ( 892839 )
      But for when they go full CoC and full SJW?

  • Is Apple's action here any different from other major mobile device OEMs that do significant business in China?

    I suspect it is not.

  • Evil (Score:1)

    by hyeh ( 89792 )

    Only evil countries try to brainwash their own people into believing they are living in the greatest country in the world. i.e., the United States, China, North Korea.

    • You're not wrong.... however... there is a difference between plain propaganda and active censorship.

      Product advertising is propaganda in a way-- you present what you have in the best light you can. It's wrong if you're lying, but most people tolerate a bit of twisting the truth.
      Actively censoring dissenting opinion and attempting to "disappear" entire ideas (such as another nation being independent from yours) is far more nefarious.

      That said, I think all of the nations you listed should be called out for a

  • Because if IOS users can install custom fonts then maybe this would be helpful:

    https://opensource.googleblog.com/2016/10/an-open-source-font-system-for-everyone.html [googleblog.com]

  • Taiwan (Score:4, Insightful)

    by AHuxley ( 892839 ) on Monday October 07, 2019 @06:51PM (#59281354) Journal
    is real China.
    But a US computer brand wants to show its support for more Communism.
  • Every once in a while tech journalists like to step out of their role of promoting commerce for electronics companies and try to cover actual world events like the kind written about by actual journalists.. but realistically this story is meaningless. Repressive regimes are not overthrown by emoji. The USA could actually support Taiwan and the protesters in Hong Kong, but decided against it years ago. The tech companies aren't "spineless", the problem is the spine of their businesses are built on China's ch
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • It's almost as if companies stop virtue signaling when real dollars matter more to them. Taiwan independence won't happen during the lifetimes of Apple's board and shareholders, so why miss out on access to making money from the Chinese market? /s
  • The tech giants are slowly dying as the technology they are based on has reached maturity, and no great burst of innovation is on the horizon. The hypercapitalist investment market has seen China as the last great hope of fast money, so the pressure on everyone from Apple to the NBA is to go there, despite their dislike of the political system there. Every big move has a cost, and they chose to honor the shareholder who holds debt.

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