In January, the government privately suggested that firms such as Apple, Samsung and Google consider pre-installing its Aadhaar biometric identification app on phones, a move opposed by a group representing the smartphone giants.
The row over preloading of state-run apps has become a recurring flashpoint between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and technology firms, with the Aadhaar requirement one of six pushed back by IT industry body the Association of Information Technology Manufacturers (MAIT), according to letters.
Aadhaar is a unique 12-digit identification number linked to an individual’s fingerprints and iris scans of nearly 1.34 billion people. It is widely used for authentication purposes in banking and telecommunication services, as well as for faster airport entry. While the government says the system is safe and secure, it has faced persistent criticism from privacy advocates, including data breaches where the personal details of hundreds of millions of holders appeared on the dark web.
Companies have pushed back on the Aadhaar application
According to an internal email sent to MAIT on January 13, the government’s Aadhaar body UIDAI had in January asked the IT ministry to involve Google, Apple and leading smartphone makers to explore pre-installation of a new version of its Aadhaar app.
The request, while not a direct order, drew opposition from the companies concerned that pre-installations increased production costs and risked creating functional problems for users, according to MAIT documents.
Apple and Samsung, in particular, had concerns with the proposal due to safety and security concerns, two industry sources said. The companies did not respond to Reuters requests for comment.
The UIDAI believed that the pre-installation would allow citizens to “easily access the core features of Aadhaar without the need for a separate download” and “expand its reach and accessibility,” according to an email sent from MAIT to its members in January.
But MAIT member companies were of the view that pre-installation “will not lead to greater public good” and that such mandates would require companies to maintain separate production lines for India and export markets, one of its January documents showed.
It also argued that no other country except Russia mandates pre-installation of government apps on mobile phones.
Launched in January, the new Aadhaar app allows users to update their personal details, manage their family members’ profiles and lock biometrics to prevent misuse.
The pre-installation proposal “shows and demonstrates the government’s greater desire to control smartphone use from the very beginning,” said Apar Gupta, founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, a digital advocacy group based in New Delhi. “It’s clearly problematic.”
It was not immediately clear whether the government was still considering the proposal or had backed away from it.
In a statement to Reuters, MAIT said its internal communications were confidential and the use of such material in reporting “risks distorting the true context of industry discussions” and is likely to undermine its advocacy efforts.
UIDAI director general Bhuvnesh Kumar, the IT ministry and Google did not respond to requests for comment.
Preloading apps is already a point of contention
In December, the Center faced criticism from opposition parties and activists over a regulation that ordered smartphone makers to pre-install a telecom security app, forcing the government to reverse its decision within days.
Letters reviewed by Reuters on the latest proposal show growing discontent among smartphone companies against central government requests to pre-install apps.
MAIT also wrote to IT ministry official Ravinder Kumar Meena on March 10, against the government’s request to pre-install another app, Sachet, a disaster warning service.
Referring to the pre-installation requirement of Aadhaar and five other government apps, MAIT said in the letter that in each case the industry “has been consistent in its recommendation against pre-installation”.
Published – 20 March 2026 12:00 PM IST
