Apple's news app, which was announced last June as part of the iOS 9 upgrade, has been blocked in China, according to the New York Times. While the news app is only available for download in the United States, the app can function elsewhere if it is already installed by a travelling user or if the phone has a registered U.S. number, according to Engadget. 

The move to block the app has not been made by China, despite its tendency to ban content via a policy many have come to call China's Great Firewall. Apple has deliberately cut off access to avoid having to censor individual Apple devices, reported the New York Times. China maintains that companies must censor its content. It appears that rather than develop its own censorhip system, Apple opted to block the app in China entirely.

News app users began reporting problems as early as last weekend. When opening the feed, they are greeted by an error message: "Story, Unavailable. News isn't supported in your current region."

Apple has not released any statement addressing this development. But there are those who view it as an indication of a position designed to not antagonize China, which now proves an important source of Apple's revenue. 

"Apple's increasing sales, marketshare and dependence on China for growth gives me mixed feelings. The larger Apple gets in China, the more power and leverage the Chinese government has over the company," Larry Salibra, a startup owner in Hong Kong, said in a blog post.