What you should know
- The South Korean military is considering banning the iPhone from all military headquarters due to concerns that sensitive information could be recorded through voice recordings.
- An internal announcement by the Korean Air Force on April 11th explicitly mentioned prohibiting iPhones starting June 1st, citing the need to block any kind of voice recording within military buildings.
- Android phones, especially those made by South Korean manufacturer Samsung, are not banned because they can comply with the National Defense Mobile Security restrictions, unlike iPhones which do not allow third-party apps to control certain phone features.
- The National Defense Mobile Security app, developed by the Ministry of National Defense in 2013, can disable smartphone capabilities like the camera, Wi-Fi, microphone, USB functions, and tethering on Android devices but not on iPhones.
Full Story
Oh, here’s something that might pique your interest. So, the big guns in South Korea, I’m talking about the military folks, are having a real chinwag about whether they should give the iPhone the cold shoulder. Yup, you heard it right. This isn’t just some locker room talk; it’s a serious discussion happening across the board—army, navy, air force, the whole shebang. Their big worry? They reckon iPhones could be sneaky little eavesdroppers, capturing sensitive chit-chat through voice recordings.
Now, get this. Some top brass who wanted to stay under the radar chatted with The Korea Herald. They spilled the beans about an announcement made by the Korean Air Force. On April 11th, they basically said, “Nope” to any gizmo that can record voices and doesn’t play nice with third-party apps controlling the phone’s functions. And guess what? They’re putting their foot down starting June 1st. The iPhone? It’s persona non grata, as per their announcement. “No iPhones allowed,” they said, loud and clear.
But wait, there’s more. It’s not just iPhones getting the cold shoulder. Smartwatches, fitness bands—you name it, if it’s wearable tech, it’s out. But here’s the kicker: Android phones, especially those Samsung beauties from their own backyard, are still in the clear. The announcement was pretty adamant about stopping all sorts of voice recordings. We’re talking official meetings, water cooler gossip, you name it. And they’re even thinking about spreading this rule like wildfire across all their units. Imagine that! Nearly half a million military personnel could be affected.
Now, let’s take a detour to the South Korean Apple Store. Ever wonder why iPhones are getting the boot but not Android phones, like those from Samsung? Here’s the scoop. The National Defense Mobile Security, which is this fancy app the military runs, doesn’t play ball with iPhones. This app is like a bouncer, keeping tabs on what the phone can and can’t do—no camera, no Wi-Fi, and definitely no microphone action. But Apple, being Apple, doesn’t let any third-party app boss its features around, except for the camera.
This security app, a brainchild of the Ministry of National Defense since 2013, is a bit of a wildcard. Depending on which Android phone you’ve got, it might block different things. And they’re hoping a future update might fix these quirks. Now, here’s a twist. iPhones don’t let you record calls, thanks to U.S. laws. But in Korea, recording calls is fair game unless you’re being a creep. That’s why many folks stick with their Galaxy phones—they love that call recording feature. And would you believe it? Nearly 70% of smartphone users in South Korea are team Samsung.
