Aadhaar app on every new smartphone? What government wants - Why Apple, Samsung are pushing back

The Indian government privately asked phone makers in January to preload the Aadhaar app. Aadhaar App On Every New Smartphone: The central government has reportedly asked smartphone makers to load the Aadhaar app as a default app on all the new phones which are going to hit the Indian market. But, smartphone giants including Apple, Samsung and Google have pushed back against this instruction. The pushback from smartphone companies has come weeks after a similar request for the Sanchar Saathi app witnessed opposition. If implemented, all the new smartphones sold in India will have the Aadhaar app - similar to pre-installed apps such as the clock or calculator. According to a report by Reuters, the central government privately proposed that the smartphone companies to preload the biometric identity programme app in January this year. The request to preload the app came from UIDAI, which asked the IT Ministry to pitch the proposal to smartphone companies. Why Did Smartphone Makers Push Back Against Govt Proposal? The report states that the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology (MAIT) opposed the government's proposal. Smartphone giants such as Apple and Samsung have reportedly raised safety and privacy concerns. Similar issues were raised during the Sanchar Saathi proposal in 2025. MAIT reportedly raised that pre-installing the app would require the companies to set up separate production lines for smartphones they intended to sell in India.