The Government of India has decided not to move forward with a proposal to make the Aadhaar app a mandatory pre-installation on smartphones produced by companies like Apple and Samsung.
According to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is not in favour of requiring smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Aadhaar application, as reported by Reuters citing an official statement issued on Friday.
The proposal had been under consideration earlier this year after UIDAI, which oversees the Aadhaar system, urged the IT ministry in January to engage with major technology firms such as Apple and Google to explore the feasibility of mandatory pre-installation.
However, after consultations with stakeholders from the electronics industry, the government opted not to pursue the plan. No specific reasons were disclosed for the decision.
The report noted that the proposal was part of a broader effort over the past two years to mandate the pre-installation of official apps on smartphones—initiatives that have consistently faced resistance from industry players.
Manufacturers had expressed concerns over device security, software compatibility, and increased production costs, particularly if separate manufacturing processes were required for domestic and export markets.
The IT ministry has not issued an immediate response to queries on the development, the report added.
India drops plan to make Aadhaar app mandatory on smartphones