India drops proposal requiring smartphones to pre-install ID app

The Indian government has decided not to proceed with a proposal that would have required smartphone manufacturers, including Apple and Samsung, to pre-install the country’s biometric identification app, Aadhaar, on all devices, a state body said on April 17. The move ends a plan that had faced firm opposition from major smartphone makers.

Reuters reported last month that the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the state body that operates Aadhaar, had asked the IT ministry in January to engage with Apple, Google, and other leading smartphone makers to consider making the Aadhaar app mandatory for pre-installation. Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit identity number tied to an individual’s fingerprints and iris scans. It is held by nearly 1.34 billion residents and is widely used for verification in banking, telecom services, and for faster airport entry.

However, India’s IT ministry reviewed the proposal and "is not in favour of mandating the pre-installation of the Aadhaar App on smartphones," UIDAI said in a statement to Reuters on April 17. The agency gave no reason for the decision in the statement. India’s IT ministry did not respond to Reuters queries.

According to UIDAI, the IT ministry held a "consultation with stakeholders from the electronics industry" before reaching its decision to drop the Aadhaar preloading proposal.

The Aadhaar request marked the sixth time in two years that the government had sought pre-installation of state apps on phones, according to industry communications reviewed by Reuters earlier this year. All six attempts were opposed by the industry.

Documents reviewed by Reuters showed that smartphone makers flagged concerns about device security and compatibility when they received the Aadhaar preload proposal. They also cited higher production costs, as they would have been required to run separate manufacturing lines for India and export markets. Sources told Reuters in March that Apple and Samsung, in particular, had concerns over safety and security regarding the proposal.

The government’s decision not to proceed reflects the constraints on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s digital push as India courts firms like Apple to expand its role as a global smartphone hub. In December, India faced criticism over an order mandating smartphone firms to pre-install a telecom security app, forcing a rollback within days.

A senior Indian official said on April 17, speaking on condition of anonymity, that the IT ministry "is not supportive of any preloading of apps, unless it is considered very essential."

While the government maintains that Aadhaar is safe and secure, the app has faced persistent criticism from privacy advocates, including over data leaks in which personal details of millions of holders surfaced on the dark web.

Apar Gupta, founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital advocacy group, welcomed the government’s decision to drop the Aadhaar pre-installation proposal and said other such proposals should also be spiked as they lack legislative foundation and have no public policy goal.

"Hopefully it is a welcome exercise of regulatory restraint that recognises that citizens carry their phones as extensions of their autonomy, not as vessels for government order," Gupta said.

By Sabina Mammadli