The Indian government has decided against making the Aadhaar app mandatory on smartphones following resistance from major companies like Apple and Samsung. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) confirmed this decision recently. Initially, UIDAI had proposed to the IT ministry the idea of pre-installing the Aadhaar app on all new devices sold in India after engaging with smartphone manufacturers. Aadhaar, a 12-digit digital identity linked to fingerprints and iris scans, is widely used by over 1.34 billion residents for various services such as banking and telecom verification.
However, the IT ministry opted not to proceed with the mandatory app installation after a thorough review of the proposal. While UIDAI did not provide specific reasons for dropping the plan, the ministry remained silent on queries. Industry consultations with stakeholders from the electronics and smartphone sectors influenced this decision significantly.
This attempt was not the first of its kind, marking the sixth endeavor in the past two years by the government to promote pre-installed state-backed apps on smartphones, all of which faced opposition from device makers. Companies expressed concerns regarding user privacy, device security, and compatibility issues. Additionally, manufacturers highlighted potential production cost increases, especially if separate manufacturing lines were needed for India-specific devices versus export units.
Apple and Samsung, in particular, voiced worries about safety and security implications. A similar scenario unfolded previously in December when the government briefly mandated the pre-installation of a telecom security app on smartphones, only to retract the order shortly due to industry resistance. The IT ministry generally avoids imposing apps on devices unless absolutely necessary, according to a senior government official.