Govt Drops Plan To Mandate Aadhaar App Pre-Install On Smartphones After Industry Pushback

India has decided not to move ahead with a proposal to make pre-installation of the Aadhaar app mandatory on smartphones, marking a significant win for global tech companies and industry bodies that had raised concerns over privacy, security, and operational challenges, according to Reuters report.

Govt Rejects Mandatory Aadhaar App Plan

The IT Ministry reviewed the proposal and is “not in favour” of requiring smartphone makers to pre-install the Aadhaar app, according to a statement by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the Reuters report added.

The move comes after sustained resistance from major players like Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics, who opposed being required to bundle the government app with their devices.

This was not a one-off push. The government

has made at least six attempts in the past two years to get smartphone manufacturers to pre-install state-backed apps.

Each time, the proposals were resisted by the industry, citing concerns over user choice and platform neutrality.

Industry Raised Privacy And Cost Concerns

The Manufacturers’ Association for Information Technology (MAIT), which represents major device makers, argued that mandatory pre-installation could lead to:

• Privacy and data security risks
• Increased compliance burden
• Need for separate production lines for India-specific devices

In an internal communication, MAIT reportedly said the move “would not drive greater public good.”

Why Govt Wanted Aadhaar App Preloaded

The government’s rationale was simple: easier access.

Pre-installing the Aadhaar app would allow users to quickly access services like:

• Updating personal details
• Managing family profiles
• Locking biometric data

The revamped Aadhaar app, launched earlier this year, is designed to make identity services more accessible without requiring physical documents.

Aadhaar remains one of the world’s largest biometric ID systems, covering over 1.34 billion residents. It is widely used across banking, telecom, and travel services for identity verification.

However, past data breach incidents have kept privacy concerns alive, making mandatory app installation a sensitive issue.