Fri Apr 17 2026, 04:27 PM EDT · 1 minute read

India drops proposal mandating Apple preinstall national ID app

India's government has abandoned its proposal that would require smartphone manufacturers to preinstall the state-owned biometric identification app, Aadhaar, on phones.

In November, India's Ministry of Communications issued a directive ordering smartphone producers to preload Aadhaar on any phone sold within the country. The order would have affected Apple, Oppo, Vivo, and Xiaomi.

According to Reuters , India's IT ministry has since reviewed the proposal and "is not in favour of mandating the pre-installation of the Aadhaar App on smartphones." The ministry said the decision came after it held a "consultation with stakeholders from the electronics industry."

It provided no specific reason for the decision, although the consultation likely played a role in it.…