India Won't Require Apple to Preinstall Government ID App on iPhones

Source: MacRumors

India Won’t Require Apple to Preinstall Government ID App on iPhones

India will not require smartphone makers like Apple and Samsung to preload devices with a state‑owned biometric identification app, reports Reuters.

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) asked the IT ministry to start talks with Apple and other tech companies about the possibility of mandatory pre‑installation of the Aadhaar identity app. The IT ministry told Reuters that it reviewed the proposal and is not in favor of mandating the app’s pre‑installation.

Aadhaar is a 12‑digit identity number that residents of India can apply for, and it has been issued to more than 1.34 billion residents. The number is linked to an individual’s image, fingerprints, and iris scans, and it serves as proof of residence. It is used for government benefits, banking, taxes, mobile connections, and more.

The Identification Authority said that the IT ministry consulted with “stakeholders from the electronics industry” before deciding not to proceed with the proposal to preload Aadhaar. According to Reuters, India’s government has asked smartphone makers to pre‑install state‑owned apps on devices six times over the last two years, and manufacturers such as Apple have thwarted all requests.

Late last year, India’s Department of Communications gave smartphone companies 90 days to start pre‑installing the Sanchar Saathi government app on all new devices sold in the country. Sanchar Saathi lets users block stolen devices, report fraudulent calls, and verify second‑hand phones. Apple told government officials that it would not comply with the requirement because of privacy and security concerns, and the government dropped the issue.

Apple gave a similar response regarding the Aadhaar app, informing the IT ministry that it had safety and security concerns about preloading the app.