Chicago – April 18, 2026
India has abandoned a proposal that would have required smartphone makers to pre-install the Aadhaar identity app on new devices, after resistance from Apple, Samsung and other industry players. The decision was confirmed by the Unique Identification Authority of India, which said the IT ministry reviewed the plan and was “not in favour” of mandating the app’s installation.
The move had drawn concern from smartphone companies, which argued that an India-specific pre-installation rule could complicate manufacturing, raise costs and create security and compatibility issues. The Aadhaar request was the sixth time in two years that the government had sought pre-installation of state apps on phones, and each attempt had faced opposition from industry.
The backtrack highlights the limits of India’s digital policy push as it balances convenience, privacy and commercial realities. It also comes after earlier criticism of a separate government order to pre-install a telecom security app on smartphones, which was quickly rolled back.
