India has decided to drop a controversial plan that would have required all smartphones to come with the Aadhaar app pre-installed.
The decision comes after strong pushback from tech companies and industry groups.
Government Backs Off the Plan
The proposal was reviewed by the IT Ministry and ultimately rejected. According to the Unique Identification Authority of India, the government is not in favour of making the Aadhaar app mandatory on smartphones.
This move is being seen as a major relief for global tech companies like Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics, which had raised concerns over being forced to include a government app on their devices.
This wasn’t the first attempt. In fact, the government had reportedly tried multiple times over the past two years to push similar proposals. Each time, the industry resisted.
Why the Industry Pushed Back
Tech companies and industry bodies argued that mandatory pre-installation could create several problems.
The Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology highlighted key concerns, including risks to user privacy, higher compliance costs, and the need to create India-specific versions of devices.
There were also concerns about user choice.
Companies believe users should decide which apps they want on their phones, rather than having them forced by default.
What the Government Wanted
The idea behind the proposal was to make Aadhaar services easier to access.
With the app pre-installed, users could quickly update personal details, manage family profiles, and even lock their biometric data without needing physical documents.
The Aadhaar system, managed by UIDAI, already covers over a billion people and is widely used for identity verification across banking, telecom, and travel sectors.
Privacy Still a Key Concern
Despite its wide use, Aadhaar has faced criticism in the past over data security and privacy issues.
That’s why the idea of forcing the app onto every smartphone sparked debate.
For now, the government has stepped back, allowing users to choose whether they want the Aadhaar app—keeping control firmly in their hands.
