India Drops Proposal to Mandate Aadhaar App Pre-Installation

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India rejected a proposal to require smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Aadhaar biometric identification app on devices sold in India. The initiative, launched in January 2026 by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), aimed to reduce user friction for a mobile identity wallet used by over 1.3 billion people.

Major manufacturers, including Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics, opposed the mandate. They cited concerns over device security, software compatibility, and potential data leaks. Companies also argued that the requirement would increase production costs by forcing them to maintain separate assembly lines for the Indian market versus export markets.

This decision marks the sixth time in two years the Indian government has attempted to mandate the pre-installation of state-owned apps, following a similar reversed directive in December regarding the Sanchar Saathi cyber safety app. The Aadhaar app remains available as a voluntary download on the Apple App Store and Google Play.

The Internet Freedom Foundation welcomed the reversal, arguing that bundling state software with personal devices lacks a legislative foundation and infringes on citizen autonomy.