Iran Lifts Ban on WhatsApp and Google Play

The Iranian government has announced the lifting of its ban on public access to the messaging platform WhatsApp and the Google Play app store, a move that marks a significant shift in the country’s internet policies.

Members of Iran's Supreme Council of Cyberspace, which includes leaders from all three branches of government, approved the decision during a meeting on Tuesday, The Caspian Post reports, citing IRNA.

The Council also reaffirmed its support for domestic social media platforms.

This action follows one of the key promises made by President Masoud Pezeshkian during his election campaign in mid-2024, where he criticized the internet restrictions as burdensome for both the public and the government. Pezeshkian highlighted that many Iranians spent a substantial portion of their monthly income on virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the bans.

Iran’s Minister of Telecommunications, Sattar Hashemi, described the move as a "first step" toward reducing restrictions on foreign internet platforms. He emphasized that the government has a comprehensive plan to support domestic platforms while continuing efforts to lift bans on other foreign services.

WhatsApp and Google Play were initially blocked in late 2022 amid widespread protests following the death of a young woman in police custody. At the time, authorities justified the bans as necessary to maintain public order. However, the restrictions led to a surge in the use of domestic messaging apps, with some platforms seeing their user base grow from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions.

The lifting of the bans signals a potential shift in Iran's approach to internet governance, as the government balances control over digital spaces with the growing demand for access to international platforms.