The central government has currently stopped the plan to make mandatory pre-installation of Aadhaar app in smartphones. Apple, Samsung and other companies had expressed concerns about security, privacy and cost. Know the whole matter.
Was Aadhaar app going to come in every phone? Know the whole matter
UIDAI and the Central Government have decided not to go ahead with the plan of pre-installing the Aadhaar app in smartphones for the time being. This means that now it will not be mandatory for Apple, Samsung and other smartphone companies to pre-install the Aadhaar app in their phones. Some time ago, there were reports that the government wanted the Aadhaar app to be already present in the smartphones sold in India, so that the users could get ease in facilities like identity verification, banking, telecom services and airport entry.
Aadhaar is one of the most used identity documents in India and about 1.34 billion people have its 12-digit unique ID number.
According to reports, in January, UIDAI had asked the IT Ministry to talk to Apple, Google and other smartphone companies to consider pre-installing the Aadhaar app in phones. But now the IT Ministry has not approved this proposal.
What would happen if this happens?
It is being told that smartphone companies had opposed this proposal. He said that this may affect the security and software compatibility of the device. Additionally, companies would have had to build a separate manufacturing line for India, which would have increased costs. Especially Apple and Samsung had expressed concerns about security and privacy.
The government also admitted that it is not necessary to pre-install every government app on the phone. According to a senior official, the IT Ministry is in favor of pre-loading only those apps which are really necessary. That means at present users will have to download the Aadhaar app themselves.
This was the sixth time in the last two years that the government had tried to pre-install a government app in smartphones, but every time it faced opposition from the industry. This time too, keeping in mind the opinions and technical concerns of the companies, the government decided to step back. This decision is a news of relief for smartphone companies.
About the Author
Afreen Afaq has started her career with Network 18 as a Tech Journalist, and has more than six years experience in ‘Mobile-Technology’ beat. She is a high-performing professional with an established and proven …read more
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