The Indian government has dropped its plan to make the Aadhaar app mandatory on smartphones, stepping back after pushback from companies like Apple and Samsung. The decision was confirmed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) on Friday, according to a Reuters report.
Earlier this year, UIDAI had asked the IT ministry to engage with smartphone makers, including Apple and Google, on the idea of pre-installing the Aadhaar app on all new devices sold in India. Aadhaar — a 12-digit digital identity linked to fingerprints and iris scans — is already used by over 1.34 billion residents for a wide range of services, from banking and telecom verification to faster airport entry.
However, after reviewing the proposal, the IT ministry decided not to move ahead with making the app mandatory. UIDAI did not specify the exact reason for dropping the plan, and the ministry reportedly did not respond to queries from the publication. The decision came after consultations with stakeholders across the electronics and smartphone industry, indicating that industry feedback played a key role in shaping the outcome.
Notably, this was not the first time such a move had been attempted. In fact, it marked the sixth effort in the past two years by the government to push for pre-installed state-backed apps on smartphones. Each time, the proposals have faced resistance from device makers.
Companies have consistently raised concerns around user privacy, device security and potential compatibility issues. There were also practical concerns, with manufacturers warning that such mandates could increase production costs, especially if separate manufacturing lines were required for India-specific devices versus export units.
Apple and Samsung, in particular, had repeatedly raised concerns about the safety and security implications, according to sources cited by Reuters.
A similar situation played out in December, when the government briefly mandated the pre-installation of a telecom security app on smartphones. That order was withdrawn within days following industry backlash. According to a senior government the IT ministry is generally not in favour of forcing apps onto devices unless it is absolutely essential.
