India’s government has abandoned its proposal that would require smartphone manufacturers to preinstall the state-owned biometric identification app, Aadhaar, on phones.
India drops proposal mandating Apple preinstall national ID app
India drops proposal mandating Apple preinstall national ID app
In November, India’s Ministry of Communications issued a directive ordering smartphone producers to preload Aadhaar on any phone sold within the country. The order would have affected Apple, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi.
According to Reuters, India’s IT ministry has since reviewed the proposal and “is not in favour of mandating the pre-installation of the Aadhaar App on smartphones.” The ministry said the decision came after it held a “consultation with stakeholders from the electronics industry.”