India’s government has retracted its recent directive to smartphone manufacturers, which required them to preload a state-supported application called Sanchar Saathi on all devices sold in the region. This decision followed reports indicating that major companies, including Apple, were likely to resist compliance with the mandate.
Sanchar Saathi is managed by India’s Department of Telecommunications and offers functionalities for tracking and blocking lost or stolen phones based on their IMEI numbers. The app is currently available for download on both the App Store and Google Play Store, but the government’s initial order aimed to make it a pre-installed app with restrictions on user removal.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Communications issued a statement announcing the withdrawal of the mandatory pre-installation requirement. Nonetheless, the ministry emphasized that Sanchar Saathi is a secure tool designed to assist citizens in safeguarding against cyber threats.
The official statement did not directly address the privacy issues raised by critics of the original order. Instead, it cited the app’s growing popularity as the reason for the shift in policy, suggesting that the government has opted to maintain the option for voluntary app downloads rather than enforce pre-installation.
As of now, Apple has not responded to inquiries regarding its position on the initial order or the subsequent reversal.
Source: https://www.theverge.com/news/837209/india-sanchar-saathi-app-requirement-dropped