The Indian government has abandoned a controversial proposal to require smartphone makers to pre-install the Aadhaar app on all devices sold in the country. The plan, which would have forced manufacturers to bundle the national biometric identification app, faced strong opposition from industry stakeholders over security and cost concerns.

The Aadhaar app contains sensitive personal data including 12-digit identification numbers, biometric information, and residential details for over 1.44 billion Indian residents. Smartphone manufacturers argued that pre-loading the app would necessitate separate manufacturing lines for the Indian market, significantly increasing production costs and complicating supply chains for global brands.

This marks the sixth attempt in two years by Indian authorities to mandate state-owned apps on mobile devices. A similar push last December to require the Sanchar Sathi cyber safety app was quickly rolled back after industry backlash. The IT ministry's decision reflects growing recognition of the practical and security challenges associated with forced app installations on consumer devices.