The Indian government has decided against the mandatory installation of the Aadhaar app on smartphones, following resistance from major companies like Apple and Samsung. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) confirmed this reversal on Friday, as reported by Reuters.
Earlier this year, UIDAI had proposed to the IT ministry the compulsory pre-installation of the Aadhaar app on all new devices sold in India, engaging with smartphone giants such as Apple and Google. Aadhaar, a 12-digit digital identity incorporating fingerprints and iris scans, is widely utilized by over 1.34 billion residents for various services like banking, telecom verification, and expedited airport access.
However, after careful consideration, the IT ministry opted not to proceed with the mandatory app installation. While UIDAI did not disclose the specific reason for this decision, the ministry remained unresponsive to inquiries. The move came after consultations with stakeholders from the electronics and smartphone sectors, underscoring the influence of industry feedback on the outcome.
This was not the government’s initial attempt at such a requirement, marking the sixth endeavor in the past two years to promote pre-installed state-endorsed apps on smartphones. On each occasion, these proposals encountered opposition from device manufacturers.
Concerns raised by companies consistently revolved around user privacy, device security, and potential compatibility issues. Additionally, practical considerations were highlighted, with manufacturers cautioning that such mandates could escalate production costs, particularly if distinct manufacturing lines were necessitated for India-specific devices versus export-bound units.
Sources cited by Reuters indicated that Apple and Samsung, in particular, had expressed apprehensions regarding safety and security implications.
A comparable scenario unfolded in December when the government briefly mandated the pre-installation of a telecom security app on smartphones. Following industry resistance, the order was rescinded within days. A senior government official mentioned that the IT ministry generally refrains from enforcing app installations on devices unless absolutely necessary.