Indian govt drops proposal to pre-install Aadhaar app on smartphones

The Union government of India has reportedly decided not to proceed with a proposal to mandate the pre-installation of the Aadhaar app on smartphones manufactured by companies such as Apple and Samsung.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is “not in favour” of making it compulsory for smartphone makers to pre-install the Aadhaar application, Reuters reported, citing a statement issued on Friday.

The proposal had earlier been discussed after UIDAI, which manages the Aadhaar system, urged the IT ministry in January to engage with major technology firms, including Apple and Google, to explore the possibility of mandatory pre-installation.

However, following consultations with stakeholders from the electronics industry, the government decided against pursuing the plan, the UIDAI said. No specific reason for the decision was provided.

As per the report, the proposal was part of a series of attempts by the government over the past two years to require pre-installation of official applications on smartphones, all of which faced resistance from industry players.

Smartphone manufacturers had raised concerns regarding device security, software compatibility and potential increases in production costs, as separate manufacturing processes might have been required for Indian and export markets.

The IT ministry did not immediately respond to queries on the matter, the report added.