India backs down on requiring smartphone makers to preinstall state-run app | Infinium-tech

The biggest scam of the week in India was over state-developed and run app Sanchar Sathi, which the government last week decided to force all smartphone manufacturers to preinstall on their devices with a grace period of 90 days. After substantial reaction from practically everywhere and everyone, the Indian government has today decided to back down. The Indian Telecom Ministry now says the app will remain voluntary and smartphone makers will not be required to pre-install it.

This requirement has proven controversial with device makers like Apple, which has reportedly refused to comply with the order, with users wondering why the Indian government would want to push something like this so strongly. Government officials yesterday withdrew some of the initial provisions of the order, saying that users are free to enjoy the benefits of the app or remove it from their phones if they want nothing to do with it, despite the fact that the order itself states that device makers must ensure that the app’s “functionalities are not disabled or restricted”.

As of now, the Indian government has not officially spoken with smartphone manufacturers about the new change and the fact that they will no longer have to preload the communication partner on their devices, but that will probably happen later today.

The app was released in January and has had 14 million downloads so far and had 3 million monthly active users in November. Its purpose is to report fraud, track stolen phones, block them and prevent them from being misused.

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