Examining the claim Apple flew 5 planes full of iPhones into US to avoid tariffs
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On April 8, 2025, a rumor spread online that Apple flew five planes full of iPhones into the United States to avoid tariffs.
The claim appeared on X, Facebook and Reddit, while another X post from Dexerto, a video game and entertainment media site, had amassed more than 16.6 million views as of this writing. Its caption read: "Apple reportedly flew in 5 planes full of iPhones into the U.S. to avoid tariffs."
Alongside Dexerto, other publications like PCMag and 9to5Mac also covered the rumor.
As these publications noted in their stories, the Times of India (TOI), an Indian English-language online newspaper, initially reported this claim. TOI based its April 8, 2025, article (archived) on anonymous "senior Indian officials" and the author of the story is cited as "TOI Tech Desk," not a named individual.
Snopes contacted the publication's editorial team to ask if they could connect us with the writer or writers of the story. Apple did not immediately return an inquiry as to whether this claim was true. We will update this report if Apple or TOI respond. However, without comment from TOI or Apple, it was not possible to verify this claim.
TOI's article was somewhat inconsistent — the headline said Apple transported the five planes "full of iPhones" from both India and China, whereas the first line of the story said the company transported "five planes full of iPhones and other products from India" to the United States, with no mention of China. It later quoted an anonymous source as saying: "Factories in India and China and other key locations had been shipping products to the US in anticipation of the higher tariffs." Therefore, it was unclear if TOI was claiming that the five planes came solely from India or if some planes came from China too.
The article also said the shipments happened "in the final week of March" and aimed to avoid "a new 10% reciprocal tariff" imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump that would take effect on April 5.
It is true that Trump imposed a global 10% tariff on that date. However, Trump changed his original tariff policy on April 9 and could change it again in the future.
While Trump did not officially announce these tariffs until April 2, the White House indicated in March that the new tariff rates would go into effect on April 2, making it possible that Apple transported the phones in anticipation of Trump's announcement.
On page six of this report, Apple said that its supply chain spans 50 countries, including China and India. According to an April 2019 article in business magazine Forbes, most of Apple's manufacturing is done in China, although the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on April 8, 2025, that the company is rapidly increasing its presence in India. WSJ also reported on April 7 that Apple plans to source more iPhones from India as Trump's trade war with China ramped up.
Trump announced a 90-day pause on all tariffs except for China in an April 9 Truth Social post.
Apple. People and Environment in Our Supply Chain. 2024, s203.q4cdn.com/367071867/files/doc_downloads/PeopleandEnvironment/2024/Apple-Supply-Chain-2024-Progress-Report.pdf. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Izzo, Jack. 'Posts Online Correctly Cracked the Formula for Trump's Tariffs'. Snopes, 4 Apr. 2025, https://www.snopes.com//news/2025/04/03/trump-tariff-formula/.
Jie, Yang, and Rolfe Winkler. "Apple Plans to Source More IPhones from India as Potential Tariff Fix." The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Company, 7 Apr. 2025, www.wsj.com/tech/apple-iphone-production-china-tariffs-6cc37f40. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Moorhead, Patrick. "Who Are Apple's IPhone Contract Manufacturers?" Forbes, 13 Apr. 2019, www.forbes.com/sites/patrickmoorhead/2019/04/13/who-are-apples-iphone-contract-manufacturers/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Olson, Bradley. "Apple Exported More than $17 Billion of IPhones from India Last Year." The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones Company, 8 Apr. 2025, www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-trump-tariffs-trade-war-04-08-25/card/AdCy26AdHs3J9tSW2X49. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Rascouët-Paz, Anna. "Tracking Trump's Tariffs." Snopes, Snopes.com, 27 Mar. 2025, www.snopes.com/tracker/tracking-trumps-tariffs/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
The White House. "Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Declares National Emergency to Increase Our Competitive Edge, Protect Our Sovereignty, and Strengthen Our National and Economic Security." The White House, 2 Apr. 2025, www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-increase-our-competitive-edge-protect-our-sovereignty-and-strengthen-our-national-and-economic-security/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
TOI Tech Desk. "How Apple 'Flew' 5 Flights Full of IPhones from India and China in 3 Days to Beat Trump Tariffs." The Times of India, Times Of India, 7 Apr. 2025, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/mobiles-tabs/how-apple-flew-5-flights-full-of-iphones-from-india-and-china-in-3-days-to-beat-trump-tariffs/articleshow/120044321.cms. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Trump, Donald J. "Based on the Lack of Respect That China Has Shown to the World's Markets, I Am Hereby Raising the Tariff Charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, Effective Immediately. At Some Point, Hopefully in the near Future, China Will Realize That the Days of Ripping off the U.S.A., and Other Countries, Is No Longer Sustainable or Acceptable. Conversely, and Based on the Fact That More than 75 Countries Have Called Representatives of the United States, Including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to Negotiate a Solution to the Subjects Being Discussed Relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and That These Countries Have Not, at My Strong Suggestion, Retaliated in Any Way, Shape, or Form against the United States, I Have Authorized a 90 Day PAUSE, and a Substant…." Truth Social, 9 Apr. 2025, truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114309144289505174. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Wyatte Grantham-Philips. "Trump's Trade Wars Deepen as China Retaliates and Markets Fall. Here's What to Know." AP News, 4 Apr. 2025, apnews.com/article/tariffs-trump-trade-war-what-to-know-e40e9eae3fa951438a764733cc55c5b8. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
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