An anti-spam app enabling users in India to block calls from telemarketers is now available on the App Store, following a long-drawn-out tussle between the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and Apple.

In September 2017 Apple declined to approve the Do Not Disturb (DND) app because giving access to call and SMS logs to third parties violated its privacy policy, and because of the precedent it would set for other countries.

However, Apple subsequently agreed to work on it with the government, around the same time it was stepping up its presence in India.

In July, TRAI said it would force operators to shutdown devices which didn’t allow the app by January 2019, following which Apple considered taking legal action.

It seems the matter is finally resovled, though.

The App Store descripton for TRAI DND states it will “help consumers to curb unwanted telemarketing calls/SMS by reporting to their respective telecom service provider”.

It can take up to seven days for users to register their number and gain access to the service.

An Android counterpart for the app was launched in 2016.