Big relief for smartphone buyers: Aadhaar app won’t be forced on your device

There was a proposal doing the rounds earlier that could have changed how smartphones are sold in India. The idea was to make the Aadhaar app come pre-installed on every phone. That would have meant users getting the app by default, whether they wanted it or not. Now, that is no longer happening. Also Read: Aadhaar mistakes that can block your bank account: How to fix them

The government has decided not to move ahead with this plan after reviewing it. The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) had earlier suggested this to the IT Ministry, but after discussions with smartphone makers and other stakeholders, the proposal has been dropped. As per details shared with Reuters, the IT Ministry is not in favour of making the Aadhaar app mandatory on smartphones. Also Read: 7 iPhone settings that improve battery health

What the proposal was about

The plan was simple on paper. Smartphone brands would have been asked to ship their devices with the Aadhaar app already installed. This would have saved users the step of downloading it themselves and made access quicker.

Aadhaar is already used across services like banking and telecom, so the idea was to have it readily available on phones instead of making users look for it later.

Why companies pushed back

This is where things didn’t go as planned. Smartphone makers were not fully comfortable with the idea. Companies like Apple and Samsung raised a few concerns.

One of the issues was cost. Most brands sell the same phone in different countries, so adding something just for India would mean extra changes and added expense.

There were also concerns around security and data privacy. Some felt that forcing an app onto devices by default could create risks or lead to technical issues for users.

Multiple attempts before this decision

This was not the first time such a proposal had come up. According to reports, there have been several attempts over the past couple of years to push for pre-installation of the Aadhaar app.

Each time, the industry had raised similar concerns. After repeated discussions and consultations, the government has now decided not to go ahead with it.

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What this means for users

For users, nothing really changes in daily use. The Aadhaar app is still available and can be downloaded anytime from app stores. The only difference now is that it won’t come pre-installed on new phones. So, it’s still your choice whether you want to use it or not.