China will not be among the major markets to get the new iPhones first, CNET reports.
Apple's iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are set to debut in several countries on Sept. 19, with China's exclusion from the opening weekend still a mystery.
However, CNET reports that the issue may lie with the Chinese government, which has not approved the devices yet.
China is the world's largest smartphone market, having passed the US in 2011. Apple has had recent success in the country, as well, selling a record number of 5S units during Q4 in the country. Bloomberg has also reported that Chinese consumers accounted for 16 percent of the Cupertino-based tech giant's $37.4 billion in iPhone sales last quarter. According to research firm Umeng, Apple's iPhone makes up about 80 percent of all smartphones in the country priced $500 or more.
China was also among the countries that received the iPhone 5S and 5C during the devices' opening weekend last year.
In July, Apple's iPhone (specifically its location-tracking feature) was the focus of a critical national broadcast on state-run China Central Television.
The iPhone and the function, which tracks a user's movement from a location and the time they were there, were deemed "national security threats" by China, which cited a new report that claimed the country's economic situation and "even state secrets" could be obtained by those with access to the data.
Apple responded, however, by stating that user privacy is never in jeapordy.
"Apple is deeply committed to protecting the privacy of all our customers," the company said at the time. "Privacy is built into our products and services from the earliest stages of design. We work tirelessly to deliver the most secure hardware and software in the world."
The new iPhones will arrive in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Singapore on Sept. 19.
