Nov 4 (Reuters) - Apple Inc (AAPL.O) will remove its mask mandate for customers at many U.S. retail stores from Friday as COVID-19 cases decline, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. More than 100 of the company"s about 270 stores across the country will scrap the requirement, with more stores adopting it gradually, the report said, citing an internal memo to Apple retail employees. The iPhone maker declined to comment. The highly infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus had previously prompted many tech companies, including Facebook Inc (FB.O), Google (GOOGL.O) and Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), to tighten their defenses. The mask mandate will continue for Apple"s retail employees, the report said. Reporting by Tiyashi Datta in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath