Overview
- An internal MAIT email shows UIDAI asked the IT ministry in January to engage Apple, Samsung and Google on exploring pre-installation of the redesigned Aadhaar app.
- MAIT and member companies opposed the idea, citing higher production costs, possible functional issues for users and security concerns.
- Manufacturers warned that an India-specific preload could require separate firmware or production lines, complicating exports and raising logistics costs.
- UIDAI’s chief said there is no plan to make the app compulsory and framed pre-installation as a convenience measure for users who could choose not to use it.
- Privacy advocates flagged Aadhaar’s history of data exposures and the risk of state preloads, while industry noted a recent Sanchar Saathi mandate was rolled back and that this is one of six such requests MAIT has resisted, leaving the proposal’s status unclear.